Descendent Of Death
by Ilianna
Summary: In the 6th year at Hogwarts, the famous trio is introduced to a mysterious exchange student. She's just a little too perfect; not that anyone cares. The person you'd least expect is the only one who can bring out the truth. Sometimes love REALLY hurts....
1. New Girl

Note To Readers: A few months ago, before the name of the 5th book was even released, my friend and I were talking about ideas for the next book in the Harry Potter series. After reading my friend's story (her username on this site is Courtney11989), I decided it couldn't hurt to type the idea I had suggested to my friend. I know the 5th book already came out, so I had to change it a little. I'm starting it off in the middle, just after they arrive at Hogwarts. I may add the beginning later on.

Disclaimer: I only own new words, new characters, and the plot/story line.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione ate their dinners quietly, still confused at what Hagrid said at the train earlier. What could he have meant by there being a "unique surprise" for them? "Well, after everything we've gone through at this school, I sure hope the surprise it good this time," Harry said to the two of them. "I mean, as if school isn't enough, we always end up fighting some evil force or preventing world-wide doom or something." Though he did mean it seriously, he smirked when he said this.

"May I have your attention please?" said Professor Dumbledore. The entire hall silenced immediately. "I'd like to introduce, a very special guest. Please welcome Miss Gemna Rodemlovt." he and the rest of the Great Hall turned their heads towards a girl walking through the center of the room towards the teacher's table. She had pale skin, eyes like honey, long gleaming brown hair that was naturally highlighted red and blond, lips blood red, and a long black, gold, and red dress, unlike any of the other student's robes. Many guys had empty looks on their faces while some girls obviously had the word "slut" on their mind.

When she was next to an empty chair by Professor Dumbledore, he continued. "Miss Rodemlovt is transferring here from the Romanian University of Magical Arts, another prestigious witchcraft school. I say witchcraft because R.U.M.A. is an entirely female school, so this is a new setting for her. Gentlemen…." He paused and looked specifically at the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables. "Please be sure to show respect, which you should do anyway. Just because she is new to the school does not mean she can't cast a hex as well as the next witch or wizard, though she is aware that casting hexes on students is not permitted."

The first years sitting closest to the teachers table slowly scooted away in fear. "Our guest will be continuing with her sixth year of Magical studies. Based on an earlier conversation, it has been decided that she will be staying in Gryffindor. She has selected the following students from last year's yearbook to be her aids in getting settled here." At this, Gemna handed Professor Dumbledore a folded slip of paper. "Wonderful choice, Miss Rodemlovt. The students are: Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Virginia Weasley, and Harry Potter. After you four finish dinner, please approach the table. Enjoy the rest of your feast everyone!"

The four of their jaws dropped as the entire school stared at them. Of all the kids there, the four of them were chosen. They exchanged looks and knew something was up. After a few minutes of dead silence, the students returned to their meals and gossip quickly spread about the new guest.

"Something just gets me about her…" Ron stared into space.

"Ron, from the look on your face when she walked by, it seemed more like you wanted to get something from her," Hermione said almost jealously.

"Whatever it is that makes her so mysterious, we'll find out soon enough," Harry sighed, watching many students exit to the dormitories.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny finished there dinner a few minutes later and walked over to the teacher's table. Professor Dumbledore and Gemna stood up and greeted them. Actually, only Professor Dumbledore said anything. Gemna had just stood there and smiled. "Miss Rodemlovt has selected you four to be her guides during the school year, to 'show her the ropes', if you will. Miss Granger, she will have the bed next to yours, it's already reserved. You and Miss Weasley will assist her in unpacking and any other necessary things that obviously Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley couldn't assist with. Tomorrow, being a Saturday, you four will provide her with a tour of the school. Though she has been here for a few weeks, there are still parts she has not seen. Please do your best to make her feel welcome. Now, don't worry about her being from Romania; when she does speak, she can speak fluent English," he chuckled. "I'll leave you five to go get settled now. The password for the Gryffindor dorm this year is 'flaming ducks'." after this, he simply walked away. The five of them quietly walked to the dormitories, not even making eye contact.


	2. First Words

"Flaming Ducks," Harry said as they approached the portrait of the fat lady. Everyone went silent when they stepped inside the common room. All eyes turned to Gemna. The four of them decided that they should probably just go strait to bed. "See you girls in the morning," Harry said hugging Hermione, Ginny, and Gemna good night.

"Yeah, see ya' tomorrow. Meet you over there by the fire 'round eight-ish, k?" Ron yawned.

"Sure. See you then," Ginny replied as they walked up the stairs toward their rooms.

As Harry and Ron walked into their dorm, they couldn't help but talk about Gemna's beauty and how irresistible she was. "There's just something about her that doesn't seem right, yet she seems so perfect," Harry said to Ron, unpacking his suitcase.

Ron did the same. "I know what you mean. I think…I think I'm in love," he sighed.

"Ron! Don't rush into anything. She hasn't even spoken to us yet. Maybe we can get her to talk tomorrow. For some reason, I'd love to find out more about her than I ever wanted to learn about anything in school. But for now, lets just make an attempt for friends, all right? _Just_ friends," Harry looked at Ron who nodded and agreed. They both got changed, set their alarms for 7:30am and went to sleep.

Hermione and Ginny led Gemna up the stairs to the 6th year girls' room. "You and I sleep here," Hermione said, walking into the room of beds. "Ginny's room is the next one over. Would you like us to help you unpack?" Her only reply was a smile as Gemna opened the trunk in front of a bed that had a sign saying: Reserved For Miss Gemna Rodemlovt. The two girls assumed this was a yes and began to assist her in hanging her dresses in the closet. Her clothes were unlike anything that the other students or even teachers wore, but they seemed to be permitted.

Ginny picked up a book at the bottom of the suitcase and seemed very puzzled by it. It was titled Essence Of Self. "What's this?" she asked her. For the first time, Gemna spoke.

"Just a little independent study," she replied, grabbing it out of Ginny's hands and putting it under her mattress. "It's nothing really." Hermione and Ginny exchanged looks and continued unpacking.

About 15 minutes later with some light conversation on having the same classes, Ginny set off to her room and Gemna and Hermione changed for bed. Hermione had made an interesting choice in nightclothes this year; a pale yellow velvet tank with matching pants. The pants had a cartoon frog on it that continuously hopped around the ankles. Gemna's outfit looked rather expensive. It was a knee length black satin strapless gown with blood-red silk roses around the bottom edge. It also had a silver dagger on the front that looked like it was covered in blood. She looked like she was going to a formal dinner rather than to bed. "Goodnight Hermione. Sweet dreams," Gemna said, getting under the sheets.

Hermione yawned and said "G'night." She flicked her wand and the lights were out.


	3. Miss Social

The next morning, Gemna woke up Hermione around 7:30am. "Good morning, Hermione," she said, putting a vase of fresh flowers by her bed. "I thought I'd pick some flowers to match your bed set. I think it really brings the area to life." Hermione sat up and rubbed her eyes. As she looked around, she saw that Gemna was right; something as simple as flowers really did make her part of the dorm look more stylish and welcoming. Hermione got out of bed and changed into her robes, noticing Gemna was wearing a dress similar yet a different design then the one she wore the previous night.

            "Thanks for the flowers, they're lovely. When did you ever find the time to get them?" Hermione asked, tying her shoes.

            "Oh, I was up at 5 o'clock this morning. I like to be up with the sun. Of course, the sun didn't come up until 6:15am today. But by that time I had already gotten dressed, read the assigned book for Defense Against The Dark Arts, rearranged the furniture in the common room according to the art of Fung Shui, and was by the lake picking flowers," she explained calmly as Hermione's jaw dropped. And everyone thought _she_ was an over-achiever.

            "W-wow," Hermione stuttered. "You didn't have to go through that trouble, especially picking me flowers." The two girls headed down to the common room.

            "But I wanted to," Gemna said as they descended the stares. "I feel it is important to let everyone know that you care about them as individuals." Hermione was about to respond to this, but she stopped in the middle of the first word when she saw the room. It was absolutely gorgeous. Flowers on the tables, chairs arranged both for socialization and privacy, curtains retied to let in more light, scented candles smelling of vanilla on the fireplace…it was unlike anything she'd ever expected in this school.

            Just as Hermione, still speechless, and Gemna sat down, the guys and Ginny came down the stairs. "Whoa! This room has never looked better!" Ron exclaimed. "Who did this?"

            "Gemna did," Hermione answered for her. "She also got ahead on studies for our first class on Monday and picked flowers for our room, all before sun rise. Isn't she cool?"

            Harry and Ron looked at each other while Ginny sat down next to Gemna and discussed her inspiration. "Didn't they hate her just yesterday?" Harry whispered.

            "That's what I thought." The two boys sat down with the girls and tried their best not to daydream of Gemna.

            "Did you boys sleep well?" she asked them. They were pleased that she was finally speaking.

            "Um, yeah, I guess so. I had the oddest dream about a flaming duck running around in circles and quacking. I think that new password may have something to do with it," Harry said as everyone else laughed.

            A few minutes later, they all headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Everyone looked at them as they walked in. They could hear clips of whispers as they headed to the table such as "…must be a model," and "…look at that dress!" When they sat down, they quietly served themselves breakfast before picking up the conversation.

            As Gemna began eating a chocolate chip muffin, Ginny asked, "So where would you like to go first? We have no classes for two days and you haven't seen much of the school yet at all."

            Gemna answered quickly after swallowing the muffin. "I'd like to go see where the other houses are. That way I can hopefully meet some of the other students."

            Harry and Ron both had the same thought: 'Oh great, another year of Draco Malfoy and his planet-sized ego.' It hadn't occurred to them that he would be furious after what happened at the end of last year. "Well, okay, if you want to. But if we run into anyone rude and obnoxious, we apologize; Malfoy was born that way." Everyone laughed at Ron's joke except Gemna who simply finished her breakfast.

            About fifteen minutes later, the five of them headed towards Ravenclaw. Harry didn't realize his mistake in leading them that way until he saw Cho. "Oh, hi guys. I love your dress…Gemna, was it? I'm Cho," she said. Harry was shocked at how calm and friendly she was being.

            "Nice to meet you," she replied with a smile and curtsy. "I'm glad the headmaster said I could wear it. I despise being denied the right to self-expression in clothing. Speaking of which, those earrings are gorgeous! They match your eyes." Ginny, Hermione, Harry, and Ron just stood there in shock that the two of them had hit it off so easily.

            "Thanks! I know what you mean about the clothing thing. Hey, maybe we can meet up later? I'll look for you at dinner. See you guys later!" Cho turned and walked away as the others stared at Gemna.

            She looked around and asked why they were staring. "How did you just become instant friends with Cho like that? I went out with her and she never talked to me like that," Harry blurted out.

            "I guess I'm just one of those girls," she answered as her and the other two girls headed towards Hufflepuff.

            "I'll say," Ron whispered to Harry as they followed.

            When they got near Slytherin, Harry's heart started to pound. Though he knew he could easily defend himself, he feared Malfoy coming out from behind a wall and attacking him. Though he did walk out from behind a wall, Malfoy didn't even threaten him. He was without his friends and looked happy. "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rodemlovt," Malfoy said, pushing the others out of the way and kissing her hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy. If you ever get tired of them, and you certainly will, I'll be more than happy to provide company, or anything else you wish."

            "Enchanted to meat you, as well, Draco," she replied with another curtsy. Four jaws dropped once again. Hermione almost collapsed. He had just introduced himself to her and already Malfoy was treating Gemna like a royal princess. He was treating someone in Gryffindor with kindness. More so, she had called him Draco. No one called Malfoy by his first name.

            "I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to join me for a walk by the lake after dinner tonight. I'd love to find out more about you. You sounded so fascinating the way Professor Dumbledore described you yesterday, though the lighting there didn't do you justice." Ron squinted at Malfoy with such hatred and jealousy that he was shocked not to have torn him to shreds right there.

            The others waited anxiously for her to answer. After a moment, she said, "That sounds lovely. That lake is so gorgeous in the sunset. I saw it yesterday before the train arrived and it inspired me. I immediately set off to make a painting of it, which I gave to Professor McGonagall. She hung it in her class right away, so we will see it on Monday in Transfiguration. Meet me at the Gryffindor table when you're done eating tonight."

            "Can't wait. See you then," Malfoy said, going to the Slytherin common room.

            The four students were completely speechless. Ginny's eyes widened as much as Ron's had narrowed and Harry couldn't move from how hard Hermione was unintentionally digging her nails into his arm. "Maybe we should just go back to the dormitories now. I think I need a nap. A nice, long nap." Hermione managed to say. The other three agreed.

            "I'll meet you guys there. I want to go talk to Myrtle," Gemna said, starting to turn away. However, Ron stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.

            "Myrtle? Moaning Myrtle? The girl killed by that snake thing?" Ron questioned.

            She laughed. "Yes, that's her. She has such lovely stories and she knows so much about that beautiful lake. Catch you guys at Gryffindor!" Before the others could think of a response, Gemna took off toward the girls' lavatory that Myrtle not so peacefully resigned in. The four of them walked back to their dorms, trying to explain to themselves what had just happened.


	4. Evil Can Love

            Hermione sat in a chair, staring into space, while Ginny repetitively hit herself in the head with a book that kept saying "ouch" on contact. Harry and Ron sat on the floor in the corner trying to make sense of whatever it was happened half an hour prior. "I just don't get it! Her and Cho…Malfoy said…Gemna and…and…oh, Harry, the world's gone mad! And now…Myrtle? Moaning Myrtle? What could she possibly have to talk about with her? I just…."

            "Shut up Ron!" Harry yelled at Ron before he could say another syllable. "Look," he continued, "I'm sorry to yell at you like that, but you were going mental. I know it's a little shocking that Gemna made instant friends with my ex, is currently talking to a ghost in a toilet, and is going for a walk with 'Draco' after dinner…all right, so it's a lot shocking. But that's her choice. We got to accept it. Besides, for all we know she could be doing it just to be nice and then never talk to him again."

            "We can always hope," Ginny added as she sat down next to them.

            "Yeah," said Hermione as she, too, walked over. "It's just a walk. What could happen?" They all looked at each other for a moment without saying anything. "Invisibility cloak?"

            Harry nodded. "Definitely. Malfoy's not taking advantage of her as long as we're around."

            "Hello Gemna! So nice to see you again." Myrtle flew done from the window ledge and floated in front of Gemna. "Are you enjoying your time with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny?"

            "Oh, yes, Myrtle. They're exactly as you described them. Thank you for helping with that situation. I can't believe you actually saw Harry nude!" Gemna and Myrtle giggled.

            "Yes, and he's only grown more attractive since that night in his fourth year…so I overheard Draco Malfoy bragging in the Slytherin bathroom that he and you were, sorry if I'm wrong, dating?" Myrtle asked.

            She laughed. "Oh, was he? I just thought I could get to know by accepting his invitation to go for a walk around the lake after dinner. I don't think he's…you know. That guy I mentioned earlier."

            "Neither do I. I mean, he could be, but I doubt it. I once was in the drain pipe when he took a shower; you wouldn't believe how much hair gel that boy uses!" The two of them laughed. So much of that junk got stuck in the drain that it overflowed the next day! It was rather hysterical."

            "I'm sure. Hey, Myrtle, you wouldn't be able to get me a few things, would you?"

            At dinner that night, everyone was talking about Gemna. Slytherin gossiping over Malfoy's "date" with her later, Ravenclaw obsessing over her superior fashion sense, Hufflepuff discussing her superior skills and organizational techniques, and Gryffindor debating over what hex she would cast on Malfoy if he tried anything with her. About the only ones not discussing gossip or rumors were Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Gemna. They were too focused on what to do tomorrow; it was the only way to keep themselves from letting slip their plan to spy on her later. "Well," she said, "I think I've seen enough of the school for now. I can figure out the rest later on. Tomorrow I'd like to spend some time with you guys. I'm so sorry I ran off with Myrtle today, and I really would like to get to know you all better." Ron and Harry were very pleased to hear this but didn't show any closer a sign of it than the girls.

            "I think that would be lovely," Hermione replied. "So you can get to know each of us well enough, I'll set up a general schedule with what times work best for each person. I'll put it by your bed tonight for when you get back from…"

            "Gemna!" Malfoy had just walked over and interrupted Hermione; not that he cared. "Ready to go?"

            Gemna put her fork and napkin down and stood up. "I'll see you guys later!" she shouted, walking away with Malfoy.

            "Come on guys," Harry said as he got up. "We got to go follow her now. Good thing I brought the cloak with me," he raised his hand with the cloak in it and motioned for the rest to follow. They put the cloak on behind a tree outside where no one would notice and set off after their new friend.

            After walking in silence for a few minutes, Malfoy put his arm around Gemna's shoulder. Though she certainly noticed and didn't particularly care for it, she didn't react about it, attempting to find out what was on his mind. "So…" he said. "Um, what was Romania like? How was it going to an all-girls school? I heard R.U.M.A. was one of the finest in the world."

            "Oh, Romania is gorgeous! When the sun sets there, it's like the universe is concentrating all its love on making it beautiful." As she said this, the two of them sat down under an apple tree and looked at the sun setting on the horizon. "R.U.M.A. is a fine school, so is Hogwarts," she continued. "Going to an all girls school gets boring after a while. No one to date; well, for most of the girls." They laughed at this. "Not that there's anything wrong with it; I'd just prefer to have a boy friend."

            Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting on the other side of the tree, trying to be as quiet as possible. "Oh no, she's provoking him like poking a lion with a stick!" Ron said quietly as the others gave him odd looks. "We gotta do somethin'…."

He went to get up, but Hermione grabbed him and pulled him down. "Don't you dare," she hissed at him. "If we do anything now, we'll never find out what either one of them is up to!" They listened more carefully and Ginny kept a grip on Ron's shoulders to keep him from getting up.

"So, Draco, are you friends with Harry?" Gemna asked.

"Potter? He hates me. I only wanted to be his friend but every time I try, he tries to kill me!" He responded, hoping to get an affectionate response.

"What?! Why that little…." Harry almost dived at Malfoy, had it not been for Hermione holding him back. "Let…me...go…."

"No! I'm not letting you ruin this! Tomorrow we can set her strait on any lies, don't worry." Harry glared at Hermione for a second before coming to his senses and sitting back down.

Gemna's reaction was as Malfoy hoped. "Aw, Draco," she said hugging him. "I'll talk to him tomorrow about it. He's been really sweet to me and I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you a chance if I asked him to. He's a wonderful guy, really." This made Harry feel much better, but Malfoy was now a bit nervous.

He pulled away from the hug and said, "No, no, it's quite alright. You don't need to do that. Enough about Potter anyway; tell me about you. How are things different here than from Romania?"

"Romania, right…."

The conversation continued into the night with talk of Romania, Hogsmeade and Diagon Ally, experience in dating, and guesses on what classes will be like on Monday. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione found it much like watching a play. They were about to head back to Gryffindor, Ron noticed an odd silence and suggested they wait. Sure enough, just as Gemna was standing up to leave, Malfoy put his arm around her and kissed her. "That son of a bitch!" Ron yelled as quietly as he could.

"Ron! Watch your mouth! Though this is repulsive," Hermione said as Ginny giggled and Harry clenched his fists, "Gemna can take care of herself, I'm sure…I hope."

            Sure enough, Gemna stopped him. "Draco," she told him as she pulled away, "I really don't think you should have done that…."

            "No!" Malfoy actually had a scared look on his face. "Please don't say it. I'm sorry. Please don't say what I think you're gonna say. You're just so irresistible, I couldn't help myself!"

            "Draco!" She stopped him. "I'm not going to say this isn't going to work because I don't know you well enough to make any decision about a possible relationship with you. I just think maybe we could be friends for now. _Friends_, okay? That's not so bad, is it? Did you say I was irresistible?" Malfoy looked down and nodded. Gemna giggled. "Um, thank you. That's very sweet. I'm sorry to leave like this but it's late and I told the others I'd see them later tonight. I don't want to let them down. I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow then, 'right?"

"Uh, right. Thanks for the wonderful time. You're like an angel."

"I wouldn't say that…but your company was nice, as well. I got to go back now. See you later Draco!" Gemna hugged him and went back to the dorm.

Malfoy sat down under the tree and put his head in his hands. "Is Malfoy…crying?" Ron asked rhetorically. Indeed he was. Malfoy was sobbing like a baby.

"How could I be so stupid?" He said quietly out loud. "She could never love someone like me. I must do everything I can to get her to like me!" He got up and ran back to Slytherin.

"I don't like the sound of that," Hermione said. The others agreed. "We better hurry back to the common room before Gemna gets there." The four of them took off the cloak when no one was looking and ran all the way back, taking every short cut they knew.

Somehow they managed to get there before Gemna and sat down as if they'd been there all night. "Hi guys," Gemna said as she walked in. They greeted her, doing their best not to sound suspicious.

"Hey Gemna, how was your date? Oops! I mean…" Everyone glared at Ron.

Gemna laughed. "It's okay, I know what you meant. It was okay. He told some obvious lies about you, Harry, and he kissed me, but I handled it." Harry, for some reason he couldn't explain, felt proud. Like when your dog wins a dog show. It's not you, but someone you care about still had a good time. "Well, I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight," Ginny said.

"G'night," Ron and Harry said together.

"Goodnight. I'll be up in a few," Hermione told her.

"Goodnight guys. Oh, and Hermione, don't worry about that schedule. I know you didn't get around to it. See you all in the morning." As Gemna walked up the stairs, the others looked at each other and sank into their chairs with guilt.


	5. Indegica

            Hermione hit her head against the back of the chair a few times and said, "She probably hates us now! How did she find out?"

            Ginny shook her head. "We were so careful. Well, _we_ were so careful." The two girls gave angry glares to Ron and Harry.

            "What?" they asked in unison. "Come on," Harry said. "I'm sure if we just explain our point of view to her she'd understand. I mean, the whole point was to help her. However she found out, she probably just misunderstood. Ron and I don't feel like getting literally thrown off the stairs again like last year, so can you girls go get her?"

            They sighed. "Always sending girls to do their dirty work," Ginny and Hermione giggled as they walked up the stairs to the room.

            When they arrived there, they stopped dead in the doorway. Gemna was levitating above her bed! "G-G-G-Gemna?" Ginny stuttered.

            Gemna lowered herself onto the bed and walked over to them in a nightgown like the one the night before, except with purple flowers. "Sorry to freak you girls out like that. It's just a little something for relaxation I picked up in Romania. Please don't mention it to any more than the guys. I don't want weird rumors spreading." They simply nodded in response. "I'm sorry if I sounded rude before Hermione," Gemna continued. "I'm actually not upset at all."

            "You're…you're not?" Hermione looked shocked.

            "No," she laughed. "You were just looking out for me because you thought Draco was up to something. And I heard everything you said. I have exceptional hearing. Ginny's the only one who knows how to spy without giving herself away. The only sound she made was when she grabbed Ron's…shoulders it sounded like."

            "Wow, how did you know that? That's amazing!" Ginny and Hermione were much more relaxed now. "And we are REALLY sorry," Ginny added.

            "I told you, it's okay." They gave each other friendly glad-to-be-on-your-good-side-again hugs.

            "Oh, Ron and Harry are waiting down stairs for us. Boys aren't allowed up here, but they really want to apologize. Come on…" Hermione motioned for the door.

            "No guys. I think I should talk to them alone. Besides, it's after eleven. You girls go to bed and I'll see you in the morning or if you're still up when I come back, Hermione." Before they could respond, Gemna was heading down the stairs.

            "Hi Ron, Harry." She said as she sat down next to them.

            They were rather stunned to see her in her nightgown, but tried desperately to pretend not to notice. "Hi Gemna," Harry said. "We're really sorry. We didn't mean…"

            Gemna interrupted, "Harry, stop. I already talked about it with the girls. I have rather exceptional hearing and heard every word you four said. I'm not angry at all. As a matter of fact, I'm actually happy. That was so sweet the way you guys were ready to stand up for me like that." She walked over and hugged each of them.

            "So, you're not mad at us for spying on you? Really?" Ron inquired, still blushing from being hugged.

            "No, really. I'm okay with it. I'll talk to you in the morning at eight again. I could use some sleep. Goodnight!" Gemna dashed up the stairs, back to the dorm.

Harry and Ron felt much less tense now. Gemna hadn't minded whatsoever. She was pleased with the spying? Although they couldn't make sense of it, they didn't care anymore. After a few moments of meaningless silence, the two boys headed up to their rooms and went to bed happy.

At five o'clock, Gemna silently took a shower, brushed her teeth, dressed, and headed to the lake. She picked some daisies and sunflowers and chiseled at two rocks for about an hour to make vases for them. Around seven, she returned to Gryffindor and had a pleasant fifteen-minute conversation with the portrait before entering.

Gemna walked up the stairs to the boys' dormitories and into the 6th year room. For a few moments she just stood there and watched Ron and Harry sleep like babies. A heavy-set boy with brown hair in the corner actually was sucking his thumb. When she realized how soon they'd be getting up, she quickly set the vases down by their beds and left. Harry sat up and could have sworn he saw a dark shadow sweep out of the room, but by the time he got his glasses on, there was no way he could tell. Harry swung his legs over the edge of the bed and looked at the nightstand. There was a stone vase engraved "Harry Potter" and it was filled with flowers. He noticed Ron had gotten one, too. He walked over and woke him up. "Wake up you rock!" he screamed in his ear. "Unconscious people wake up more easily than you!" The two of them laughed. "Look on your dresser."

Ron picked up the vase and read out loud, "'Ronald Weasley'. Did Gemna do this? Hermione did mention something about flowers."

"I think so," Harry answered as he began to get dressed. Ron did the same. "Wow, that was so nice of her. This looks hand carved. Must've taken her at least an hour."

"She's amazing, isn't she? I can't wait to see her today. Her face just lights up a room!"

Harry smirked at Ron and teased him. "Ron and Gemna sitting in a tree…"

"Shut up, Harry," Ron said, throwing a pillow at him. They laughed, finished dressing, brushed their teeth, and headed to the common room the same time as the girls showed up. Well, Hermione and Ginny, at least. "Hey, where's Gemna?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Hermione said. "Probably picking more flowers or something."

"She already did that," Harry blurted.

"What? How would you know?" Ginny asked them.

"She put hand carved vases with flowers by our beds. Our names are even engraved on them," Ron explained.

"Wow, cool. I think that means she forgives you." They laughed at Ginny's words. Just then, Gemna emerged from a dark corner and walked over.

"Gemna!" Ron subconsciously ran up to her and gave her a hug. "Oh, sorry! It's just…those flowers…and the vase…they're amazing!"

Gemna giggled. "You're both very welcome. And there was no reason to apologize for a hug. I don't mind hugs from friends." She smiled at them and her and Ron walked over to the others. "You guys ready to go to breakfast?"

From the table, Harry and the others, all except for Gemna who was serving herself some eggs, could easily see Malfoy writing something and constantly looking up at her. They figured it must have something to do with his sobbing the night before. "So you and Mal…Draco aren't dating, right?" Ron asked anxiously.

Gemna laughed. "Of course not! He lies way too much and Myrtle says…oops." She hadn't meant to reveal that her and Myrtle had been discussing rumors.

"What did Myrtle say?"

"Tell us!"

"Come on, please?"

They all begged her to find out what happened between her and the ghost in the lavatory. She finally gave in. "All right…Myrtle says Draco uses enough hair gel to open a factory. According to her, the entire Slytherin bathroom was flooded last year from it clogging the drainpipes."

They laughed their heads off. "S-s-sorry G-G-Gemna," Hermione tried to say. "It's just s-so f-funny to hear any r-r-rumors about him!" Gemna just pretended to smile and continued with her breakfast.

"You know, Harry," she continued, "it seems Myrtle had an interesting story about you, as well."

Harry immediately stopped laughing. "What? What did she say?" It didn't occur to him that anything she said now, the others would hear.

"Well, I don't think I should…." Gemna looked away.

"Tell us, Gemna!" Ron laughed. "Let's hear what Moaning Myrtle's been telling you!"

"Fine, but if Harry's embarrassed, it's your fault." She and the others leaned in so no one would hear. "Myrtle says in your fourth year, she was spying on you when you snuck into the prefects' bathroom to hear the mermaids' song in that egg. She says she lied about not seeing you naked and that quote 'he's only grown more attractive since'. Apparently she fancies you, in more ways then one."

Harry's eyes widened and his face went white. The others were hysterical. Ginny practically fell over, milk came out of Ron's nose, and Hermione snorted like a pig. "Oh god, a dead girl watched me bathe. I feel so…weird. She didn't say anything…you know?"

Gemna caught the hint. "Oh, no, of course not. However, I think if I hadn't had to leave so quickly she would have used a lot more detail." Harry bit his lip and ate his breakfast in silence while the others continuously made jokes about it.

"Guys, it's not that funny," he said after about the ten zillionth "joke". "For all I know, she could be spying on me every time I use the bathroom! It's not funny at all."

"Oh, don't worry, Harry. She says she only looks at you in the shower every so often." The others burst into laughter again when Gemna said this. "Just kidding!" Harry rolled his eyes and gave a false grin. Then Gemna whispered, "Actually, she really did say that last week. I just didn't want them to hear…." They looked over at Ron, Ginny, and Hermione who were still bouncing off the walls. "I'll talk to her about it next time I see her. It's really more of a compliment, though."

"Well, when you do go see her, let me know; I'm going with you."

As they were leaving the Great Hall, Hermione stopped and pulled out five papers. "Hold up guys, I forgot to tell you; this morning I made those schedules!" Her, Ginny, and Gemna grinned at each other while the guys rolled their eyes at her organization obsession. Hermione handed them each a copy.

"Let's see…" Gemna read the list out loud as they all sat on the stairs. "Today I'm with Hermione. Tomorrow Harry, then Ginny, and Wednesday is Ron."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. This way we each get to spend a day getting to no you. Sounds fair; good idea Hermione." Harry smiled at her.

"Well, you three have fun. Come on Hermione, only four more hours 'till lunch!" They giggled and ran up the stairs together.

"So now what?" Ginny asked the boys.

"I don't know. I have a strange notion to go study for tomorrow," Ron said with a puzzled look.

"That's actually a good idea," Harry complimented. "Too the library!" The three of them laughed all the way there.

"So what would you like to do?" Gemna asked Hermione as they sat down in their room. No one else was there; they were all in the courtyard or by the lake or elsewhere in the school.

"Well, if you don't mind, Gemna, I'd like to learn how to levitate myself like you did. By the way, I didn't tell anyone, don't worry." Hermione giggled.

"Sure, anything for my roommate!" They laughed. "The first thing you got to do is change out of that outfit. We're in the dorm, you can where other stuff. Here…" Gemna tossed Hermione one of her dresses. "Put this on. For the levitation to have the best affect, you need to be in a flowing, comfortable outfit." Hermione changed into the dress. It was a bit oddly cut in some places for her. "I can fix that," Gemna lifted her hands, crossed them in front of her face, pulled them to the side, then the front, slowly back, then strait forward and said "Blekeya tetlarro!" The outfit immediately adjusted to fit Hermione perfectly.

"Wow! That's awesome! Wait, why didn't you use a wand?" Hermione was grateful, but she was very confused.

"It's called Indegica. It means I can create magic without a wand or sometimes even without a potion; but not always. It's a gift you're born with and can only be acquired otherwise by a unique and rare homemade potion that requires the blood of both people," she explained.

"That's okay, I think I'll stick to a wand." They laughed. "So what do I do now?"

"Take off your shoes and lie down on your back with your arms at your sides." Hermione did so and laid back on her bed. "Okay, now empty your mind. Completely empty and relaxed." After she figured she was relaxed enough, Gemna continued. "Now, visualize yourself rising up. Think nothing but that. Then see yourself floating in peaceful places, like meadows or clouds." After about five minutes, Hermione was levitating about a foot off her bed. "When you want to come down, visualize yourself _safely_ lowering back down." Hermione did so. "Great job! Not many people get it, even though it both sounds and is simple. You are very gifted."

"Thanks, but you're the gifted one. You're the one that's Indegic." They laughed again. "Hey, I was wondering…you wouldn't let me keep this dress, would you? Sorry if it sounds rude, but I just love it!"

"Oh, of course Hermione! It looks great on you! Besides, I have plenty of others and can easily sew more."

"You mean you make them yourself?"  
            "Yup!"

"Whoa, that's cool! My mother taught me how to sew and needlepoint, but I never designed my own dress. Can I work on one with you sometime?"

"Sure. Why don't you get changed back to your normal clothes and save that dress for when you really need it?"

"Yeah, a dress like this ain't just for walkin' 'round school." Hermione changed and put the dress in her closet and the two of them sat down. "Now what?"

"I'd like to start on the rest of the books for our classes, if you don't mind that is."

"Mind?" Hermione exclaimed. "I haven't gotten a chance to study at all! Come on, we only have two and a half hours left 'till we gotta meet up for lunch; let's get to work!" They pulled out all their books and opened to chapter one of _Potion Notions: Learning to Create Your Own Potions and Magical Recipes_ by Teresa Maria Thorn. By lunch they had read everything from _Transfiguration, You, and Others_ by Shannon J. Graves to _Herbology Today and Forever_ by Emily Mitchell. They put the books away and headed down to the Great Hall.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny were already at the table and waved to them as they approached. "Hey guys! What'd you do while we were gone?" Hermione asked.

"Believe it or not," Harry told them, "we were in the library, studying."

"You're right, I don't believe it. Is it true Ginny?" Ginny nodded with a mouth full of grilled cheese.

"What did you girls do? Let me guess: 'girl stuff'?" Harry high-fived Ron as a compliment for the joke.

"Actually, we read every single book for the year and made a dress for Hermione," Gemna said as they both giggled.

"Uh…right. Can we see the dress?" Harry asked her.

"No! I'm saving it," Hermione screamed at him.

"We can't just…." Ron begged.

"No!" she repeated.

"Calm down! It's just a dress. Forget we asked. So did you have fun _reading_?" Ron rolled his eyes at the prospect of studying when it wasn't necessary.

"Yes. That Teresa Thorn writes better stuff in her book than Snape will ever teach us. Our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year, Jean L. Courtlynn has written her own book called _Words Conquer All: Spells, Hexes and Incantations for All Situations_. It's very well written." Hermione told them.

            "Sounds ever so interesting," he replied sarcastically. "What are you planning on doing later?"

            "We don't know. Maybe I should tell Gemna about the time with the slugs…."

            "No! I'll shut up, I'll shut up," Harry and Hermione laughed, remembering what had happened when Ron tried to curse Malfoy with a broken wand in their second year.

            "Well," Gemna said getting up, "I'm done. You ready to leave Hermione?"

            Hermione stood up and said, "Yeah, sure. Let's go."

            The other three watched the two girls exit the hall and ascend the stairs. "What's up with Hermione? She's acting like a normal girl. Oops. Sorry sis." Ron had forgotten she was there. Ginny gave him an evil glare and they finished their lunch before going out to the field to play Quidditch.

            After continuous stories of each other's life and a gossip-filled dinner, the five students walked through the common room. "I hate Sunday nights. You can't have a Sunday night without a Monday morning," Harry sighed as he headed towards the stairs. "Goodnight girls. I want to get some extra sleep so I don't end up with detention tomorrow. We have no clue how strict our new teacher will be in Defense Against the Dark Arts; we have it first hour, you know."

            "Yeah, I'm going with Harry," Ron said. "I could use some extra sleep. Goodnight girls."

            "See you in the morning. We're just as tired as you, you know." They laughed at Ginny's comment and split up at the staircases.

            "So tomorrow I'm spending the day with Harry, Hermione?" Gemna asked.

            "Yup."

            The next day, the five of them gulped down their breakfasts and headed to their first classes early. Ginny split up with them to go to Herbology while the rest went to meet their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. They sat down at four desks in the right front of the room and waited for the class to start. After about fifteen minutes, all the other students were there, including Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle who were constantly looking over at them (mainly Gemna), and it was time to officially begin their 6th year.

            A reasonably tall woman with dirty blond hair, freckles, blue eyes, and a light complexion walked in the room wearing a long velvet blue cloak. "Good morning class. I am Professor Jean L. Courtlynn and I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for hopefully the next two years you're supposed to be here," she said in a soft, kind tone. "Now, let's get right to it. Please take out the book listed in the letter you received over the summer and open it to Chapter One: Muggles Vs. Magic."

            Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Gemna opened their books. "She's certainly very different from the others, isn't she?" Hermione whispered.

            "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure there's some kind of deep dark secret about her that will get her canned. There always is," Harry answered.

            "Now," Professor Courtlynn continued, "I know this is a little elementary, but I would like someone to volunteer to read the first page for us." The only one to raise her hand was Gemna, but she didn't mind. "Ah, yes, Miss Rodemlovt. Professor Dumbledore mentioned that you'd be in my first hour class. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to get used to the sixth years here." She giggled. "Please begin."

            All eyes turned to Gemna as she began to read. "'When it comes to protecting yourself and others, some practice and a wand is all you really need. Before you step inside the world of hexes, jinxes, and counter-curses, consider what your life would be like as a muggle. When you met your enemy, what would you do? Muggles don't use magic, as you know. They use their physical strength: punching, kicking, and occasionally even biting. Having more muscle means you have the power. However, in the wizarding world, the one with the most knowledge of protective spells will be the only one still alive. With a mere flick of the wrist, a four-foot tall witch can knock out a fifty-foot tall giant; with the proper help of course. That's where this book comes in. Nearly everything you need to know to defend yourself against both foreseen and unforeseen events you will find in here.'"

            "Now that you've covered the basic rule, muggle and wizard dueling never mix, please pair up and practice the simple blocking spell on the following page. I know I just said no muggle fighting, but I want you to throw a punch and or kick at your partner while they cast the spell to block. And Miss Rodemlovt, please come here." The professor sat down at her desk. Ron and Hermione paired up while Harry read over the instructions and waited for Gemna. "Miss Rodemlovt, the headmaster tells me you're," Professor Courtlynn looked to make sure no one was listening and continued, "Indegic. I don't mean this in a way that I think he is wrong, but is this true?" Gemna nodded. "Wow, I've never met a real Indegic before. We discussed it briefly in my seventh year of school, but I've never actually seen someone with Indegica. Do you mind doing the normal lessons with everyone else? It's the same thing, except you move your wrists and hands instead of a wand."

            "Of course. I've even written some spells of my own," she told her.

            "Independent spell writing? We didn't cover that until seventh year, if we were advanced enough. Of course, Professor Snape is starting you off with creating your own potions this year, but I'm certain it's not the same." They giggled. It was almost as if they were becoming friends. Gemna seemed to have a knack for things like that. "Well, I won't keep you anymore. Mr. Potter is waiting for you, I see. My, you two make an adorable couple."

            "Oh, Harry and I aren't a couple. He is rather sweet and maybe it could work, but him, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and I are all friends. Though Hermione claims they both talk about me a lot when I'm not there." They giggled again and Gemna headed back to Harry.

            "What was that about?" he asked her considerately.

            "Oh, nothing. Ready? Let's go stand over there." They picked up their books and stood by the window so they'd be away from the crowd at the desks. "Let's see. We're supposed to form a forwarding loop with the wand and say…oh, okay, I get it. You can go first Harry. Let me know when you're ready for me to punch you," she joked.

            "I'm ready," Harry said. Gemna through her fist at Harry and he quickly looped his wand and moved it forward saying "Beknah!" Gemna's hand came about an inch from Harry's face before it was slowly pushed away. "I think I did it wrong," he laughed. "Your turn. Where's your wand?"

            "Don't worry about it. Just go ahead and punch."

            "But,"

            "Just start."

            Harry sighed. He felt bad about even pretending to hit her. "Alright…."

Harry lifted his arm and pushed it forward at her. Gemna did the forward loop with her fist and yelled, "Beknah!" Harry's hand stopped dead before his arm was even out half way, and then went strait back in. It was like he'd hit it on an invisible wall. The entire class went silent. Gemna had just performed a perfect blocking spell without use of a wand.

"Oh dear," the Professor said. "Perhaps I should explain. Please take your seats." The class immediately dashed back to their desks and looked at their teacher for an explanation. "You see class, Miss Rodemlovt has what is known as Indegica. It's a remarkably rare ability. As rare as, if not more so, parselmouths. Everyone turned to Harry and Gemna. Harry sunk into his seat while Gemna sat there perfectly content, listening very carefully, even though she fully knew about the uniqueness of her talent. "Indegic people can cast spells, charms, and nearly any form of magic, including Patronus, without use of a wand. It is a great advantage when combating evil. You could destroy their wand and they'd have no hope. Indegica is something you can only be born with, so don't bother trying it yourself. Though there is a way to gain the gift without being born with it, you are forbidden to try it, even out of school. There is an incredible risk of death and even fewer than the number of people who have it know how to do it, let alone do it properly. Anyway, I expect the bell will be ringing soon, so for homework, I'm assigning simply to practice the blocking spell. If you think you got it already, don't worry about it as we will have a simple review of it at the start of next class." Just then, the bell rang and the students gossiped all the way to their next classes.

"Harry!" Gemna called as he headed to Transfiguration. "Please don't go ahead. I would like to talk to you." Harry slowed down and Ron and Hermione took the hint to go on without them.

"Sorry if that was rude of me to rush out like that," he told her as they strolled down the hall to their next class. "I just really wanted to get out of there. Why didn't you tell us you were In…In…whatever it was she said?"

"Indegic. I told Hermione yesterday. I don't know why I didn't tell you. Now that it's out there, I don't feel so bad about it. However, there's something else I haven't told you. Not even the headmaster knows this…." She looked down at her feet.

"What is it Gemna? It can't be that bad. It's not like you're a parselmouth." Harry laughed. Gemna just kept a strait face and looked up at him. "Oh my god. You _are_!"


	6. A Rose By Any Other Name

            Gemna sunk to the floor against the wall as tears dripped down her face. Harry walked over and knelt down next to her. "Oh, come on Gemna. There's nothing to cry about. I can talk to snakes, too, you know. Sure it's a little odd, but everyone already knows I can do it and they don't really care anymore. It's a unique talent and I've come to accept it as a gift. If you don't want me to, I won't tell anyone. Don't worry. Everything will be okay."

            "N-no," she sobbed. "It w-wont. You don't understand Harry." Gemna took a deep breath as an attempt to end her crying, but it didn't help much. "I'm such a freak! I don't use a wand and I'm a parselmouth, among other things. For example, I can levitate myself. Bet you wouldn't have guessed that either. See? I'm not as perfect as everyone thinks I am!"

            "Gemna! Levitating is cool! You shouldn't be ashamed of it. You have many _gifts_. Not _curses_. Gifts are meant to be used. The only reason you have them is to do great things." Harry smiled at her.

            "Well," she said as her tears gradually decreased, "I know you've used your gifts well. Your great intuition, courage, and your snake-communicating ability has proved very helpful for everyone. I mean, you've defeated Lord Voldemort five times before you even left school! There are aurors who haven't done that. I guess you're right. Of course, you won't tell anyone anything I tell you, right? I mean, Hermione does know I can levitate and I even taught her a basic way to do so, but I don't want it spreading like my Indegica."

            "Of course I won't tell anyone. You have my word." Harry hugged her for a moment before helping her up. As they walked to Potions, he said, "Hey, do you think you could teach _me_ to levitate sometime?"

            She giggled. "Sure."

            Harry and Gemna sat down in desks next to Hermione and Ron just as Professor Snape came in. He was looking his usually angry self today, nothing unusual. Of course, he was eager to assign work right away without so much as a "Good morning." "Open your books to page three and pair up. Everyone is to make the potion listed and bring it up to my desk by the end of class. Get to work," Snape snarled and slammed himself down at his desk. "Oh, and Miss Rodemlovt, please come here for a moment."

Gemna winked at Harry who smiled back. Harry walked over to the cabinet and selected the proper ingredients for the potion, while Gemna returned to a strait face, approached Snape, and said, "You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes. I was told you're Indegic. Will you still be able to work with the rest of the class?" he asked almost nicely.

"Yes Professor. And Hermione and I have already read through the book and I believe I can do everything in it without a wand."

"Well, if you have any difficulty, please see me. Some of the things you will be doing in this class are not in the book. Now please return to Mr. Potter. He seems rather anxious to begin the assignment with you."

She laughed a little and said, "Okay. Thank you." As she walked over to Harry she asked, "So what are we making today?"

"It's titled 'Liquid Roses'. It says 'after the potion is complete, simply pour the potion on the rose petal and you should have a beautiful bouquet of roses!' I already got all the ingredients. You want to start?"

"Sure. 'add three tablespoons of juice from grapes and four from strawberries.'" Gemna poured in the seven tablespoons and handed the book back to Harry.

"Let's see," he said as he picked up a jar. "'Put in three rose roots and a cherry blossom leaf.' Okay, one cherry blossom…and …one…two…three rose roots!" Harry laughed as he added the ingredients.

Seven minutes of adding and mixing later, the potion turned a brilliant blue and Harry poured it into a vial. "Come on, let's bring this to the Professor. It looks like we're the first finished." As Gemna said this, Harry was surprised to look over at Ron and Hermione and see they were only up to the middle of the page. "Professor Snape," Gemna said. "We're finished."

"Already?" he said, giving Harry a suspicious glare. "Well, let's just see how poorly you did. At least it's the right color." Snape pulled out a glass vase with a single rose petal at the bottom "Go ahead, poor the vial on it and say the incantation." He looked anxious to see them fail.

Gemna poured the vial with one hand while waving the other and saying, "Rozaho Boquera!" The vase immediately filled with the most gorgeous roses Harry had ever seen.

"Wow," he said. "I didn't expect it to work that well." Apparently Snape didn't either.

"Congratulations Mr. Potter. Maybe if you let Gemna tutor you, you could get a decent grade this year. I'm willing to give you both an A on this one. Here," He said as he handed Harry the roses. "I have no use for these. Except for this one rose petal." He pulled out one before letting go of the whole thing. "Now return to your seats and get started on the homework. Ten lines minimum on the uses of this potion."

Harry and Gemna returned to their seats. "Here Gemna." Harry offered her the flowers. "I want you to have them."

She took the bouquet from his hands and smiled. "Thank you Harry! That's so sweet of you." Gemna leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He blushed and they began on their homework.

Through the rest of the class, they looked up every time someone tried to get their potion to work. Hermione and Ron pulled an A- because theirs were too small. Malfoy and Parvati got the same thing because though they were the right size, they were wilting. Seamus and Dean got a C when theirs came out as merely stems. Crabbe and Goyle's were only thorns, giving them F's. The four of them laughed as they saw all the other students make fools of themselves. For once, they weren't the ones to be embarrassed. As Neville's potion exploded on contact with the petal, the bell rang and it was time for lunch.

"I think I may actually enjoy that class this year," Ron said as they sat down for lunch. Ginny had just walked over.

"What class?" she asked.

"Potions," Harry answered for him. "All four of us got A's today. It was a potion to make roses."

Gemna and Hermione showed Ginny the roses they got to keep. "Wow, those are nice. We had to pick roses that shoot thorns today in Herbology. And in Transfiguration we turned bees into birds. Well, some of us did. Luna and I got it. But Michele and Zenna ended up getting stung. They're in the hospital wing right now. How was the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Please tell me it's not another Professor-from-Hell."

"Don't worry," Hermione said. "She seems very nice. At least it's not that Umbridge woman." She fake-shivered and they all laughed. "We practiced a blocking spell against muggle fighting. Gemna got it perfect."

Gemna was staring down at her sandwich. She didn't really want to talk about what had happened.

Of course, Ron couldn't take a hint. "That was so cool the way you did it without a wand!" He exclaimed. Harry and Hermione gave him an evil glare.

"What?!" Ginny's jaw dropped. "What do you mean 'no wand'?"

"Just what I said!" he blurted out. "Gemna's Indentic!"

"That's Indegic," Gemna sighed. "It means I can do magic without a wand. It's no big deal."

"No big deal? Have you thought of how useful it is not to need a wand? You never have to worry about it being lost or broken or stolen!" Ginny was ecstatic even though it wasn't her who had such a gift.

She looked to Harry for the strength not to be bothered by it. "You're right Ginny. I guess I never thought of that. So where are we going after lunch?"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all answered at the same time. "Care of Magical Creatures."

As the group of sixth year students herded over to Hagrid's hut, there was monotonous gossip over Gemna and Harry. Apparently, someone had seen him give her the roses and receive a kiss in exchange. Neither of them minded hearing the rumors, though Malfoy was rather devastated. "G'afternoon everyone," Hagrid said emerging from behind his home. "Nice ter see ya all again. You been findin' yer way all right 'round here, Gemna?" The entire class turned to her as she nodded. "Good. Well then, if ya all'll follow me this way…."

He led the group behind his house to where they could actually sit on benches. "A little donation from the Ministry," he said as everyone reluctantly took seats. "Now, today we're gonna learn how to make Orbees. Thaz right, yer all are gonna be _making_ 'em. Orbees can of course reproduce on der own, but they can also be homemade. So take out yer books, the one titled _Creature Creation: Creating Creatures and Creature Parts_ by that Jared Mace fella', and open ter page seventeen. Everythin' yull need ter know should be thur and all the ingredients are on the table thur." He pointed to a table against the fence. "I suggest working in groups of two ter four. You'll be needin many hands for this project. If yer creature is created successfully by the end of class, I'll give ya a cage fer 'em and the instructions in the book will give ya a nice new pet that Dumbledore says ya all can keep in yer dorms. Well, ya best get started now."

As expected, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Gemna formed a group and by the end of class, they had successfully created an Orbee. It was about the size of a compact disk, had no legs and therefore bounced as its mode of transportation, used an antenna as a hand, and made cute noises in a squeaky little voice. It looked like it was tie-dyed purple and orange and it had these big adorable green eyes. Hagrid was pleased to give them each an A and a cage to keep them in. Gemna had no trouble convincing the others to let Hagrid keep it instead of having it locked up in their room. He accepted and gave Gryffindor ten points for being so considerate of the creature. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Parvati had made a black and green one that had red evil eyes and a creepy, deep voice. Hagrid did have to give them an A and a cage, no matter how freakish it looked. However, they were seeing what kind of spells they could do on it when it exploded and globs of Orbee went everywhere. Their A dropped to a C, Slytherin lost ten points, and they received detention to clean it up. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Gemna laughed all the way to Transfiguration.

"Welcome back to another year of Transfiguration," Professor McGonagall said as she stood before the class. "If you have Orbees from Hagrid or roses from Professor Snape, please set them aside. We will be needing lots of space today." There was some brief rustling as students stuffed away thorn filled roses and squeaking Orbees. "Now, you will be transforming sand into hourglasses today. I said you will need a lot of room because these hourglasses are for the Ministry and they would like them to be three feet tall; we'll need to move the desks as well as pair up."

Though the students were getting annoyed with working in groups today, they moved the desks aside and took out Shannon J. Graves' book _Transfiguration, You, and Others_. Hermione and Gemna were glad they read it the night before. However, they decided to return to the partners they had earlier so Harry and Ron wouldn't fail.

They opened to the page on the board and brought half a gallon of sand per pair to their spots on the floor. "So we just got to put the sand in a diamond shape and say the incantation?" Harry asked rhetorically. "Sounds simple. Can I try first?"

"Sure, go ahead." Gemna smiled and stepped aside.

Harry moved the sand into a flat diamond, took out his wand, waved it in the shape of an hourglass over the sand, and said, "Tomgleshai!" The same didn't form an hourglass; it simply spread to form a circle in the center. "Um, maybe you should do it," he said nervously as he stepped aside.

She giggled. "Not to be rude, Harry, but I think you said it wrong. If I'm reading this correctly I think it should go more like this…." Gemna arranged the sand back into a diamond and waved her hand diagonally up to the left, down, and up to the right. "Toumglecei!" she shouted. A perfect three-foot-tall hourglass stood where the sand once was.

"Excellent job Miss Rodemlovt!" Professor McGonagall said as she rushed over and picked up the assignment. "This is how your hourglasses should come out, class." she told everyone. "Exactly like this." She then knelt down on the floor to where they were and whispered, "Mr. Potter, you did make a nice attempt, but you must learn to pronounce things the correct way. And I'm glad, Miss Rodemlovt, that you had no difficulty with the incantation." The two of them knew what their teacher was talking about; once again, Indegica.

"Thank you, Professor," Gemna responded. "Actually, I probably would have been too nervous to do it, had it not been for Harry. He was very supportive in all the other classes today."

"That was very nice of you Mr. Potter. It sounds like you've been going through enough lately. Why don't both of you skip the homework tonight? I'll just list it as an excused in the grade book." Professor McGonagall smiled, stood up, and walked away with the hourglass.

Harry and Gemna got up, as well, and smiled at each other. "I guess this means we'll have a lot of free time. We got all the other assignments done during the other classes. You didn't have to mention me, though. You're the one who made the hourglass," Harry told her.

"Harry, don't be so modest. You know I'd probably still be in tears now if it wasn't for you." Gemna hugged Harry tightly for what seemed like forever to him. His face turned bright red and the rest of the class had definitely noticed. Gemna then went to her desk and returned it to its spot on the floor. Harry waited a moment before doing this. He didn't want to let the moment go.

After they had packed their stuff, Gemna sat down and began to reread the book while Harry walked over to Hermione and Ron who kept making only half an hourglass. "Ron! Will you just let me do it?" Hermione said agitatedly.

"No Hermione! I can do it myself! I just…I just need more sand!' Ron ran to the cauldron of sand and took another half gallon. He tried the incantation again and this time sand flew everywhere.

"Ah! Ron!" Hermione screamed at him. "You got sand all over me! Give me that!" She took the miniature cauldron and filled it with a half gallon of sand. Then she repeated the steps Gemna had done earlier, shouted "Toumglecei!" and glared at him when a perfect hourglass appeared.

"Very nice," Professor McGonagall said. "Miss Granger, you get an A. Mr. Weasley, B for your stubbornness." She turned and walked away with the hourglass.

Ron sighed and tried to forget about his grade in comparison to his three friends'. "So what was that all about?" he asked Harry.

"I think she just wants you not to be such a glory hog on assign…." Harry started to say.

"No," Hermione interrupted. "He means that hug ten minutes ago."

"Oh," Harry blushed. "She talked to me about something before and she just gave me a hug for it. It's nothing, really."

"What did she talk to you about?" Ron had completely forgotten about the grade he recieved.

"I don't think she'd want me to…."

"Harry, we're just as much friends with her as you are. Well, maybe not after that hug and the kiss in Potions," Hermione giggled. "Just tell us. You know we won't tell a soul."

He sighed. "This place isn't safe. After dinner tonight I'll talk to Gemna and we can find a safe place to discuss it."

"Well, if it's that serious, we can wait. _Right Ron?_" Hermione glared at him, knowing he was about to protest.

"Fine. I'll wait." He mumbled something and went to pack up.

Everyone was very quiet at dinner, except for Ginny and Gemna. They were anxious to find out what was going on with their new friend. "What's up with you guys? You're eating like you haven't had food for a week!" Gemna asked.

Harry leaned over and whispered to Gemna, "Gemna, they want to know about the thing we were talking about after first hour. Can we tell them after dinner?"

"Alright," she whispered back. "But no more than them! Okay?" Harry nodded and they continued eating.

"So how were your other classes?" Ginny asked.

"We made the most adorable creatures in Hagrid's class!" Gemna told her. "They're called Orbees. We could have kept them, but we felt that we shouldn't keep it locked up in our room. Hagrid said he'd take care of her for us so we could visit her. Ron named it Oregana. That's really a nice name Ron."

"Tchaks," he said with a mouth full of food. Gemna knew he meant "thanks."

"How about your Transfiguration class?" Ginny asked Gemna.

"We made hourglasses out of sand for the Ministry of Magic. Why do they want hourglasses?" Gemna asked openly.

"Who knows? That place is screwed up." Ginny giggled.

"Ginny!" Ron swallowed his food to yell at his sister. "You shouldn't use words like that!"

"Oh please Ron," she said as she rolled her eyes. "You say a lot worse when Mum and Dad aren't around. Like I remember this one time I was walking past your room and you said…."

Ron put his hand over Ginny's mouth to stop her from telling anymore. "Okay! I'll lay off!" Everyone laughed and they finished their dinners.

When they arrived in the common room, Harry said, "Okay, the safest place is our room. None of the other guys are back yet and the walls are sound proof I think." The others agreed and they headed to Ron and Harry's dorm room.

"What's this about?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"Gemna and Harry talked about something earlier and they will only tell us in private," she explained. They all sat down on beds. "Your room is very, erm…_messy_ compared to ours," Hermione said semi-repulsed. Clothes weren't put away, drawers were open, and beds were unmade.

"What do you expect?" Ron said. "We're guys. We define messy. Don't worry. We clean it every few weeks." They all laughed.

"Anyway," Harry said, locking the door so no one would interrupt. "Gemna and I were talking today after we left Defense Against the Dark Arts. You know, about her being Indegic and Gemna said there's something else that even Dumbledore doesn't know."

"What?" all three asked together.

Gemna looked at Harry, then at the floor. "I'm a parselmouth."

"Oh my god! Indegic _and_ a parselmouth? Wow, you're really gifted!" Ron's face lit up as if he'd just met the most perfect person on Earth.

"Well, that's what Harry said. I felt really bad about it. I mean, remember what everyone thought about you when the fact that you could talk to snakes got out? If I tell people, they'll think I'm a freak! Not that I think you are, Harry." Gemna blushed.

"It's okay," he said. "Look, you guys can't tell a soul. Indegic, parselmouth, levitation, all that's got to be a sec…."

"Levitation?" Ron interrupted. "You mean you can fly without a broom, too?"

"Oh, you can fly? I thought it was only that time you were floating in your room," Hermione blurted.

Gemna shoved her face in a pillow on whoever's bed she was sitting on. "Sorry Gemna. We didn't mean to!" Hermione walked over and sat next to her. "You're just so perfect, it's amazing. How could we not go on and on about it?"

She took the pillow off her face revealing it to be soaked in tears. "You guys think it's so amazing. Harry knows what I'm talking about; whether he says it or not, he knows. Just because you have certain abilities, people judge you right away. I hate it!" She began to sob on Hermione's shoulder.

"Aw, Gemna," Harry said as he walked over. "I do know what you mean. Don't worry, your secret's safe with us. And levitation isn't that big a deal. I mean it's cool and all, but like you said, anyone can learn it. Hell, if you ever need extra money, you could open classes."

Gemna immediately stopped crying and looked up. "Really?"

"Um, yeah sure. I think that could work," Ron said as he came over.

"Isn't there one of those Hogsmeade trips coming up?" Ginny added as she sat down on the bed across from her with Ron.

"Yeah, there is…Gemna, what if we told you there's a secret room in the school where you could charge anybody whatever you want to learn to levitate?" Harry asked.

"I'd say get me a map!" Gemna laughed.

"We actually have one," Harry told her as she stopped laughing. He pulled out a piece of parchment from under his bed and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He then handed Gemna the paper as she watched five dots appeared with their names by them. "It's called the Marauder's Map." Just then, Harry heard someone coming towards the room. "Ron, you get the door. We can discuss this again later. Mischief managed!" Harry said as he grabbed the map back and tapped it with his wand. He got it back under his mattress just in time for Seamus and Dean to come in. "Hey guys," Harry said calmly.

"Uh, hey," Dean said as the two of them looked at the girls. "Dude, what are you guys and three girls doing' in here with the door closed? Wait, don't answer that."

"Nothing happened," Ron said in an offended tone. "We were just talking about what happened in class today. We wanted to talk in a place with less people then the common room."

"Whatever. Gemna," Seamus said, "that was so cool! You got all the assignments perfect without a wand!"

"Yeah, that was awesome!" Dean added.

"Um, thanks. Well, we better be going to bed. We'll see you guys tomorrow." Gemna, Ginny, and Hermione gave the guys hugs goodnight and left to bed.

"Man, you guys are lucky!" Dean said after he knew the girls were out of earshot. "You two get to hang with them all day. Seamus and I would kill to have girls hanging with us as much as they do with you. Especially Gemna. She's hot!"

Harry bit his lip and Ron blushed. "They're just friends," he said.

"Yeah, and Ginny's my sister. If I don't be nice to her, I'll get another howler from Mum." They all laughed with Ron.

"But still," Seamus added, "You guys are lucky. And I think Gemna fancies you, Harry. She kissed you in Potions and hugged you in Transfiguration."

"No, she was just upset about something and I comforted her about it. It was just a way to say thank you." Harry did wish it were more though. Ron wished it were him.

"Well, it's late, isn't it?" Ron said, trying to get away from his thoughts of Gemna. "We should go to bed." The other three agreed. They got changed for bed, got into bed, but they stayed awake for hours more talking about girls.


	7. Newly Found

            "Ginny," the voice beckoned. "Ginny…Ginny…Ginny…." It called her over and over. There was no sign of from who or where it came. "Ginny!" Ginny shot up in bed, only moving her eyes to look across the room. They stopped on a dark shadow to her right. As she was about to scream, a hand fell over her mouth. "Ginny! Quiet! You don't want to wake everyone!" The shadow moved forward so the light of the sun rising coming through the window fell upon it.

            "Oh, Gemna," Ginny sighed as the hand was removed. "You scared me! What happened? Why are we up so early?"

            Gemna giggled. "I'm always up early. According to Hermione's chart, today's the day I'm supposed to spend getting to know you. Unfortunately, we don't have any classes together so that leaves us now, meals, and after dinner. However, I think after dinner tonight Harry wanted to continue that discussion on levitation classes for profit. I've been considering it. I think it could work. But anyways, I was hoping you wouldn't mind if we hung out now to make up for it," she whispered.

            Meanwhile, Ginny quietly got up and dressed. "Of course I'll spend time with you now. At least we'll have everything to ourselves. No one else is up yet."

            "Actually," Gemna contradicted, "I saw Draco sitting by the lake with a notebook. I think he was writing something. Look."

Gemna and Ginny looked out the window together. "You know, I can't believe I'm saying this, but he actually looks kinda nice sitting there in the sun rise. Don't EVER repeat that." They laughed as quietly as they could, as not to wake the other girls. "Come on, let's go 'conveniently show up' there."

The two girls casually walked over to the lake, pretending to be on a morning stroll. Malfoy didn't notice; he was writing. "Hey Draco," Gemna said as they sat down next to him.

Malfoy was startled and dropped his quill. "Oh, h-hello Gemna. Weasley."

Ginny glared at him. "It's Ginny, actually," Gemna said before Ginny could utter a syllable of an insult. "We were just going for a morning stroll around the lake. What are you doing up so early?"

He paused for a second to consider the expense of admitting anything near Ginny. "Oh…." He said after a few moments. "I was thinking about what you said about, you know, being inspired by the lake. I was writing a…a…."

"A what?" Ginny asked. "I swear I won't tell."

"You better not, Weas…Ginny. Okay, I was righting a poem."

"A poem?" Gemna smiled. "May I please read it?"

"It's not finished yet," Malfoy told her.

"Please Draco?" Gemna looked into Malfoy's eyes for a moment. His face went blank until he spoke again seconds later.

"Well, alright." He smiled back at her and handed her the notebook.

Gemna read it out loud as Ginny looked over her shoulder. It read:

_Sweet angle in the morning sun_

_You are my love. You are the one_

_The day goes on and you I see_

_In every flower; in every tree_

Your eyes are like the evening stars 

_Taking my imagination far_

_Your smile; it completes my day_

_And I love just how you walk that way_

_Your perfect looks, your perfect mind_

_Your beauty's unlike any other kind_

_I wish you were solely for me_

_Yet I merely wish you happy_

_For if you do choose another_

_In my heart, we'll still have each other_

She handed the notebook back to Malfoy. "Draco…that's gorgeous. It sounds complete to me. It also sounds like it belongs in a book." Ginny just couldn't say anything, though she, too, found the poem romantic and beautiful.

"Thanks Gemna, but please don't tell anyone. I don't want anyone to know that someone with my reputation is writing poetry. I never have before. After Saturday, something you said just inspired me." Malfoy blushed slightly as he said this.

"Thank you, Draco. Don't worry; your secret's safe with us. Oh look, the sun's up completely now. We better head back before the guys and Hermione get suspicious. See you in class." Gemna lightly hugged Malfoy as she and Ginny got up and walked away. As they returned to the castle, Ginny turned back and saw, to her surprise, Malfoy staring up and grinning as if he had just found a thousand Galleons.

"Good morning," Gemna said to the portrait of the fat lady. "You're looking wonderful this morning." She knew that she couldn't have changed, but she wanted to compliment her anyway.

"Why thank you, dear. You and Miss Weasley are, as well. Sorry, but it's required; what's the password?"

Ginny giggled and said "Flaming ducks." After she managed to get out the password, she burst into laughter, along with Gemna and the portrait.

"Yes, I know dear," she said as she calmed down. "The passwords get more bizarre every year." She then swung open and the two girls sat down in two chairs they could easily see Harry, Ron and Hermione from.

After about half an hour of gossiping and story telling, the other three friends walked over. "How long have you girls been down here?" Ron asked as the two of them got up and walked with the others to breakfast.

"Well, I woke Ginny at about six. We went for a walk around the lake and then came back here for about a half hour." They looked at each other and maintained their silence by biting their lips. Though it was Malfoy, a promise about a situation like that could not be broken. When they sat down at the table, they all immediately grabbed food. They ate as fast as they could and split up to their first classes twenty minutes later.

The four of them sat down in Charms just in time for Professor Flitwick to come in. "Good morning everyone. I hope you all had a pleasant summer," he said. "Today we will be learning how to numb. This is exactly what it sounds like. You will be numbing parts of the body: hands or arms. Your homework tonight is to practice it if you haven't gotten it right by the end of class and to write ten lines on the uses of this charm. You will need a partner and the book _Charms and Spells to Know_ by Mikayla Gingold. By the way, for anyone whose interested, I was told that there is a book signing by the authors of nearly all your books this year on the same day as the first trip to Hogsmeade. I will give extra credit for each signature. Now, please turn to page five in the book and begin."

"Extra credit? Something tells me we'll need that. We better make a note to go." Ron and Harry actually agreed with Hermione on this. "Care to be my partner again, Ron?"

"Um, sure." He would have preferred to work with Gemna, but he just reminded himself that tomorrow was his turn to spend the whole day with her.

"I suppose we should pair up again, too." Harry said, turning to Gemna and opening his book. "Would you like to go first?"

"I think you should, Harry. If I numb your arm, you may not be able to hold your wand," she said.

"Well, if you insist. Let's see, I just point my wand at your arm and say the words. Sounds simple." Gemna put her arm on the desk and waited for Harry to attempt the charm. "Denervious!" he said.

Gemna tried to move her arm. "Great Harry! That _was_ easy! Except, now I can't move this arm." Though Harry looked worried, she laughed. "Well, at least it's my left arm. Besides, I only need one hand for this anyway. Ready?" Harry put his left arm on the table and nodded. "Denervious!" she said as she pointed a finger at as his arm.

"Wow, it feels weird. Just like when your arm falls asleep. How long until we can move them again?" Harry asked her.

"Let me check." Gemna skimmed down the page. "Looks like our arms are going to be like this for fifteen minutes. Luckily, we can start on our homework with the other ones. I want to talk about that levitation class thing you suggested. I think it may work. Couldn't hurt to have extra money for Hogsmeade, could it?"

They laughed. "Okay, after dinner we can go to our room again." He pulled out parchment and a quill and began to write. _The Numbing Charm is very useful in…._

The next class was Herbology. When they arrived in the greenhouse, the sixth years were stunned. Instead of the normal green blob that encompassed the structure, the room was covered in brightly colored daisies. "Have you ever seen daisies like these before?" Hermione said in awe. Some were blue and gold, others orange and magenta. Some of them were even a bright red with a vivid purple.

"Good morning class," Professor Sprout said as she entered from an alternate door. "As you can see, this year's curriculum is going to be unique. You will see what I mean as we go through it. Right now, please take out _Herbology Today_ and open to the first assignment: _Building Butterflies_. Now, part of this lesson requires Transfiguration, so after you complete the necessary steps here, leave them with me and I will have them delivered to Professor McGonagall in time for your next lesson. You will be completing the project there and the grade will count for both classes. Which also means you'll need to be bringing this class' book to your next Transfiguration lesson. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Feel free to work in groups as long as you aren't too loud." At this, she turned and exited through the door she had come in.

"We're building butterflies? And it counts for a double grade?" Ron hit himself in the head with his book a couple times.

"Relax, Ron," Gemna said as she took the book from him. "Hermione and I read the book the other day and the assignment is easier than it sounds. I'll work with you, okay?" Ron smiled and nodded as Gemna returned his book.

"I guess we can work together, right Hermione?" Harry asked hopefully. He definitely preferred Gemna, but he also preferred not failing. Hermione smirked and shoved his book at him.

The students had to first choose a type of butterfly they wanted to make. All four of them chose the Monarch Butterfly. Then, they picked daisies with the appropriate color combinations. They arranged the petals in the order listed in the book and stuck them together with Madam Megan's Magic-Making Mixture. It looked a lot like honey, so Neville tried to eat some. His tongue grew antenna and feet; he had to get to the hospital wing immediately to get it restored to normal. As the students headed to lunch, Malfoy and his gang made tons of jokes. Now that he'd revealed a deep, dark secret to Gemna, he oddly didn't feel bad about being mean when he was around her.

At lunch, Ginny and Gemna were in incessant conversation over Cho and her clique's choices of hairstyles. "Ooh, Cho's braids are so pretty on her! But they definitely don't work for Jessianica," Ginny laughed.

"I know, and look at Alanna's hair! That blue tone may seem weird, but she can really make it work. It brings out her eyes." Gemna and Ginny giggled as the clique walked over and said brief "hey's" and "how are you's".

After they walked away, Ron said, "So, um, Ginny, how were your classes this morning?" He was getting tired of listening to comments on hair.

"Pretty good. Hagrid said hello for you guys and he wanted me to tell you that all the other classes so far find Oregana adorable. I saw her; you guys did a great job."

"Thank you," Hermione said after swallowing some cranberry juice. "I'm glad you two realized the importance of not keeping wild creatures in captivity." The three girls turned towards Ron and Harry.

"Um, right." Harry really wasn't sure how to comment any further on that, so he changed the subject. "So what do we have after lunch? I'm drawing a blank on the schedule."

"I think it's Divination. Then History," Hermione answered.

***(Sorry for not typing what happened in these classes or at dinner! If I'm ever going to get to the next chapter, I got to eliminate some stuff. And this way, Michelle won't kill me for not having this one posted! Lol. If you just quickly scroll down the page once in a while, I may update it with what happened. For now, just be glad I didn't type the entire history lecture they got. Lol.)***

After dinner, the five of them headed up to Harry and Ron's room again. They locked the door, sat down, and pulled out the map, along with notepads and quills. "This will be so cool!" Ginny said. "Nearly every kid in the school will fork over money to levitate."

"Well, not everyone can do it. We'll have to have a waiver for if they fail to accomplish anything," Gemna added.

"I'll take care of registration forms, waivers, and pricing," Hermione said as she began writing out necessary information immediately.

"Okay, so Hermione is taking care of financing and registration. Got it." Harry wrote it down in his notebook and opened the map. "Anyway, the room we can use is right here." He pointed to exactly where the hidden room would be in relation to where they were. "See? We go to the seventh floor. Then there will be an empty wall across from a picture of Barnabas the Barmy trying to train trolls to do ballet. All we have to do is walk past it three times and think about the kind of room we need. Then a door will appear there. You'll understand when we go there."

"Can we go right now?" Gemna asked the moment he finished his sentence.

"Now? I don't think so. It's too easy to get caught," Ginny sighed. "We could go Friday. Everyone stays up later on Fridays, so it won't be too suspicious."

Everyone agreed with her. "Alright," Ron said. "So we have a room, Hermione's doing the money thing and registration stuff…what else do we need?"

"How bout a method of advertising? We can't just go posting flyers," Harry mentioned.

"I think I know!" Gemna exclaimed. "We could tell the people we most trust and have them spread it to people they trust, and etcetera. What do you think?"

"That may actually work," Harry said. "You could talk to the sixth year girls, Ron and I could talk to the guys, and Ginny can talk to fifth years. That way it'll be a more mature crowd than just an ad or something." They all nodded in agreement. They all then heard voices approaching. Ron went to unlock the door again as Hermione, Gemna, and Ginny shoved their notebooks in their bags and Harry cleared the map and put it away. "Hey guys," he said as Seamus, Dean, and Neville entered the room.

"Again? Nothing that exciting happened today. What were you talking about now?" Dean asked both jokingly and cautiously.

Harry looked at Gemna and read her facial expression. "Close the door and we'll explain the whole thing." The three boys looked at each other before Dean closed the door and they all sat down.

Fifteen minutes later…

"Levitation? Wicked! You are so cool, Gemna," Seamus said enthusiastically.

"Is it safe?" Neville asked.

"Thanks Seamus. And yes, Neville, of course it's safe. Besides, first classes will be over beds. If you fall, you'll hit a mattress." Gemna giggled.

"Well, it sounds good to me," Dean decided. "How much does it cost?"

"One Sickle," Hermione said. "It will cover ten classes. Any extra classes will be ten Knuts each or another Sickle for ten more."

"That sounds fair," Seamus said nodding. The three boys took out a Sickle each and handed them to Gemna who put them in her bag. "Two questions: when's the first class and should we tell anyone?"

"Only tell people you know you can trust. We don't want this spreading too much. And only fifth and sixth year students," Ron declared.

"I think we should have the first class next Friday. Not this one, the one after. That should give us plenty of time to finish coordinating everything," Gemna decided. "Wow, it's late. Almost eleven! We better be going to bed. See you all tomorrow morning. Oh, and I think it's your day tomorrow, Ron. Goodnight everyone." The three girls gave the guys hugs and went back to their dorms.

"'Your day?' What's she talking about, Ron?" Seamus smirked.

"Nothing. Hermione made a schedule of when the four of us could each spend the day with her so we could get, you know, like, on the same level."

Dean's lip curled in and Seamus' face turned pink. They were obviously trying their best not to laugh. They apparently had different ideas of what was happening. "Well," Dean said after he had calmed down, "aren't you lucky? You guys get to hang with them all the time."

"Quit it, Dean," Harry joked. "We went through this yesterday. Nothing's going on."

"I bet you _wish_ there was something," he answered.

Harry blushed. "Well…well so do you! You said so yourself!" They all laughed. "So we're getting more interested in girls. Big deal. We're sixteen year old guys; what are we supposed to like? Ponies and dollhouses?" They all burst into laughter again. After they calmed down (about ten minutes later) they got changed for bed.

"Hey," Ron said as he got under the covers of his bed. "Have you ever wondered what girl say about us?"

"Of course," the other four boys said at the same time.

"What if I knew a way we could find out?" Ron couldn't believe what he was saying. Would he really spy on Gemna and the other girls?

"Ooh, do tell," Seamus said jokingly.

"Ron, you're not talking about…." Harry started to say.

"Yup," Ron interrupted. "Fred and George's Extendable Ears. My brothers invented something that allows you to hear things in other places. We could slip one into one of their bags tomorrow and that way could hear every word."

"Ron, that is both the meanest and coolest idea you ever had." Everyone laughed with Harry. "Tomorrow then. It does feel kind of mean, but if we're caught, we could say it was so we could find common interests." They all giggled again and said goodnight to each other. The lights went out and, within minutes, they were all dreaming of what they would overhear.

After telling the other girls about the levitation class, Hermione and Gemna got changed for bed. "I wonder what those boys talk about after we leave," Hermione said as she put on a dark blue nightgown.

Emilia got into bed and said, "You know they talk about us."

All the girls giggled. "Well," Hermione said as she, too, got under her blanket, "I know that. The whole world knows that." They all giggled again. "But I mean like _what_? What do they say?"

"You know," Gemna said slyly, "there are ways to find out."

"Like what?" Courtney said anxiously.

"The levitation classes. I can get them entranced enough to get them to tell us. Let's just say I have experience in many forms of hypnosis." Gemna did not make eye contact with anyone when she said this.

"Awesome!" Emilia said. "That's so cool! I'm really looking forward to next Friday now. But we better not talk about it anymore. They may pick up on it."

The other girls agreed and they all went to bed. Not a single one of the girls in that room, unlike the boys, dreamt of gossip. They all were too concentrated on the power they could gain through levitation. With the exception of Gemna, that is. She had no dream.


	8. Perfect Grades

            Wednesday morning, Harry, Ron, Dean, and the rest of the sixth year Gryffindor boys went to the common room together. Somehow they had all woken up about the same time. Ron and Harry looked for the girls. They were no longer surprised to see Gemna wide-awake so early. Hermione and Ginny were with her and a few other girls. From the looks on their faces, they were obviously discussing levitation. As the two boys separated from the rest of the group and headed over, Hermione, Ginny, and Gemna did the same. They met in the middle of the room. "So…" Ron said. "Sleep well?" Harry bit his lip and did his best not to hint anything of what they discussed.

            "Very," Gemna answered. The other two girls looked at each other, also trying to conceal their plan. "Unfortunately, I did accidentally sleep in an hour late. I was up at six instead of five. But I've made up for lost time."

            "Lost time? What could you have missed at five in the morning?" Ron asked, accidentally in a rude tone.

            "Oh…things. What I did or do is not important. At least not right now," Harry and Ron didn't turn to look at each other, but they knew exactly what the other one was thinking. 'What's she getting at?' "We better get to breakfast. It's almost 8:30." Gemna and the girls turned towards the portrait.

            Harry and Ron told her they'd catch up with them at their first class. After being sure they weren't going to come back, they rushed over to the other three guys. "So have we got anymore takers?" Harry questioned.

            Dean began to count off people on his hand. "We got John, Michael, Josh, and Colin. 'Course they're all fifth years, but it's better than nothing."

            "Good. We better get to breakfast now. I'm starving and we only got half an hour until class." The others agreed with Harry and they all went to breakfast in the Great Hall.

            After Arithmancy and Astronomy, the five students decided that they would go get some homework done to leave the night open. There was plenty of time until Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry and Hermione worked on Arithmancy with Ginny; she appreciated the help since they had already taken that class already. Gemna and Ron were urged to go spend some time together since their work was already done. Ron was more than happy to go with her, and Gemna didn't mind either. The two of them went to Ron's dorm and sat down on the floor instead of beds. Ron regretted how uncomfortable he was feeling being alone with her. "So Ginny tells me you have a brother from Romania," Gemna said as Ron sat down by her.

            "What? Oh, oh yeah. Charlie. He works with dragons," he responded.

            Gemna smiled and asked, "Do you enjoy having so many siblings?"

            "It's okay. Little confusing sometimes, but they're all great. Ginny's the only girl in our family besides Mum; Charlie is always cool when he comes home to visit us; we don't see Bill much, either, because he's in Egypt; Percy is kinda disowned at the moment, long story; and Fred and George are cool. They dropped out last year and opened a joke shop. Mum and Dad aren't too happy, but they're still really good guys. I think I mentioned everyone," he said with a chuckle (ARE YOU HAPPY NOW TERESA?!)

            "Wow," she said. "That's a lot of people. I feel so bad for Harry that he's stuck with that Aunt and Uncle of his. And I hear his cousin is none to brotherly either. You're really fortunate to have such a large family. Try to be good to them. You never know when you're gonna need a shoulder to cry on."

            They looked into each other's eyes for a moment as a smile grew on Ron's face. He suddenly felt like she was more connected to him the family he just described to her. As he was about to lean in to kiss her, Harry and Hermione came in. Gemna hadn't noticed Ron's attempt, so he wasn't _too_ embarrassed. "Hey guys. Ginny already left to Herbology. We better get going to our class too," Hermione said as the two of them stood up. "We only have ten minutes."

            "Ron and Gemna picked up their stuff. "Yeah, let's go. It's going to be quite a follow up to the last class." Though none of them mentioned it, they all couldn't help but think of Gemna and her gift.

            When they walked in, the volume of the room dropped significantly as students turned to Gemna. Though they had seen her in other classes, it was somehow more interesting to see fighting and defenses spells cast Indegicly then a simple transfiguration or charm. She paid no attention and sat down with the others in the corner again. Professor Courtlynn came in moments later in her vivid blue cloak and sat on the edge of her desk. "I hope everyone's practiced the blocking charm from last class. You will all be tested on it today." They all moaned of displeasure and quickly pulled out books to study. Professor Courtlynn continued, "I've asked my boyfriend to come in and demonstrate muggle fighting. He practiced such sports as wrestling and boxing, which many of you have heard of, I assume. No? Well, those who haven't they're both sports and ways of fighting. Muggles are confusing like that sometimes. Brian!" she called as her and the rest of the class looked towards another door that was previously unnoticed. A few moments later, a tall, muscular blond, who looked rather similar to the professor herself, emerged and stood with his hands behind him next to his girlfriend. "This is Brian, my boyfriend. I will call you up one at a time and he will try to fight you as muggles do. You must block immediately with the spell or we will be unnecessarily filling beds in the hospital wing. Now, who's first?" Everyone in the class looked paranoid as she picked up the list from her desk and read. "Ah, Draco Malfoy."

            Everyone turned to him as Crabbe and Goyle high-fived him and he headed towards the front. "I can do this, easy," he said, smirking.

            "Mr. Malfoy, I would just like to remind you that the stronger the punch or kick is, the stronger your block must be," Professor Courtlynn said as she turned from Brian to him.

            "I can do it," Malfoy said proudly. "No problem."

            "Alright," Brian said. They stepped closer until they were about a yard and a half from each other. "Ready?" Malfoy nodded with the evil I'm-better-than-everyone-else-smile he always had. Before he could utter the first syllable, Malfoy flew back into a carefully placed pile of pillows. "Sorry man," Brian said with almost a smile.

            The teacher gave him a hand in returning to his seat. Malfoy buried his face in his hands. The only part of him injured was his ego. "As you see class," Professor Courtlynn said, returning to the front of the room, "this charm is not as easy at it looks. Malfoy was not injured from pure luck. The next one to underestimate the strength Brian has will not be so lucky. Muggle fighting is more powerful than you think. Anyway, next is…Gemna Rodemlovt."

            The class went dead silent as Harry, Ron, and Hermione smiled at Gemna and she walked up to Brian. She stood across from him, smiled sweetly, looked directly into his eyes and said, "Ready when you are."

            "Oh, you must be that Indegic girl. I've never fought an Indegic. Sure you'll be alright?" Brian asked rather nicely.

            "I'm sure. And if I'm not, it's but my own fault for not being prepared. Go ahead." Brian threw a sidekick at Gemna as she forward-looped her wrist and yelled, "Beknah!" He fell right over and it seemed like time had frozen in the room for a minute as everyone stared. To their surprise, Gemna walked over and helped Brian up. "Sorry. Didn't mean to knock you over."

            "That was great!" he said as though he saw it, rather than experienced it. "Most people just block. You mastered the repletion portion of the charm! Jean, honey, if you don't give this girl a perfect score, I…."

            "Of course she's getting a perfect score. Miss Rodemlovt, that was a fantastic performance," Professor Courtlynn said as she jumped back up from the edge of the desk. "Class, I hope you were all paying attention. It had nothing to do with Indegica, so don't start thinking that. She remained calm and used inner strength to overcome a force. I expect everyone else to do equally well, or as close to it as possible. Next, Hermione Granger."

            At the end of class, Hermione had done as equally well as Gemna, and Harry and Ron scored slightly lower marks because they merely blocked the attack, rather than repelling it. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy all ended up in the same predicament as Malfoy, giving them C's for attempts. Professor Courtlynn promised this was the only assignment where she wouldn't allow herself to give lower than that grade. Neville, Courtney, and Lavender managed to block Brian at the last moment, yet were still please to get higher than many of the Slytherins. Dean, Emilia, Maria, and Seamus just barely pulled off about as much as Harry and Ron. As yet another Slytherin made a failed attempt, the bell rang and they were all off to Potions. As the students filed out of the room, everyone, except Slytherins, complimented Gemna and Hermione on their amazing skills.

            "The only reason we are doing this lesson," Professor Snape said agitatedly, "is because the Headmaster insists. If it were up to me, you wouldn't even have this page in your books. Go to page twenty-eight. The potion won't be ready for use until next Tuesday, but you will all be starting it now. Potter, Weasley, get up here." As Ron and Harry walked briskly to where Snape stood, an enormous stack of books was shoved into their hands. "Give one of these to everyone," Snape commanded. "I'm giving you all a muggle book of nursery rhymes so there is no way you can take advantage of this potion. The Litrarra Potion will give you complete knowledge of the book you put in it, and I'm not having anyone take an easy A. I put together a list of partners so you all can't find someone, though I doubt this would happen anyway, who knows the book." He flicked his wand and a list of names levitated in front of him. People stood next to cauldrons as he called out names. "Granger and Goyle." A devilish look grew on Goyle's face as Hermione slumped over. "Thomas and Parkinson." Dean rolled his eyes. "Potter and Malfoy." They both clenched their fists and stomped over to the cabinet to get supplies. "Rodemlovt and…Weasley?" Snape was taken back at how he had arranged this. "Well I'm sure I had some good reason for pairing you two. Perhaps you can both manage a passing grade this way. Next…." As Gemna and Ron walked over to the counter by Hermione, she winked at them and slid her wand back into her pocket.

            Nothing was more satisfying then the look on Snape's face at the end of class as they were all putting their potions in a dark nook for storage. Every single group, even Neville and Crabbe, had created the first part of the potion perfectly. Snape tried his best to think of excuses to take away house points, such as missing a spot when cleaning the cauldrons out, or not putting the jar of Blorble tails back perfectly aligned. Everyone was rather relieved when it was time to go to lunch.

            "Can you believe Dumbledore's letting us make a potion that we could use to never have to read another book again?" Ron said in delight as he spooned coleslaw onto his plate.

            "Really?" Ginny squealed. "You've got to get me the recipe for that!"

            "I doubt we'll be able to use it very often," Hermione sighed. "When Gemna and I were walking out, we overheard Snape saying that he's gonna have us tare out the pages for the recipe and instructions as soon as the potions are handed in."

            "Damn! That's just not fair! I was sure we could have used this to get out of studying for finals." Ron rested his head in one hand while making random shapes in his lunch with the fork in the other.

            "I can't wait to see Hagrid next hour," Gemna said almost randomly.

            Harry was a little confused. "Not that we don't like Hagrid or anything, I mean, he is one of our friends, but why are you so anxious to see him?"

            "Well, last week, before you all got here, we were discussing dragons in Romania and he mentioned someone named Charlie. He never mentioned it was your brother," she said as she smiled at Ron and Ginny. "Small world, isn't it? The way everyone knows someone you know." She giggled as she shook her head.

            The four of them broke up to talk to Ravenclaws about the levitation classes. Every single one of them they trusted enough to tell accepted. Unfortunately, an increase in why the two houses were mingling so much grew and they began questioning the Ravenclaw students. The Gryffindors had made good choices. Not a single one revealed the secret. Though Dean muttered something to Harry about how odd it was that Malfoy looked so content as he leaned against a tree without questioning a single person.

            As Ron went to agree with this remark, Hagrid emerged from the back of his hut and motioned them all in to the hopefully makeshift classroom. "Today yer all going to be working with some very interestin' creatures. They're called Flucks." The whole class was snorting and biting lips to hide extreme bursts of laughter. "Now don be laughing at 'em." Hagrid said over the incessant giggles and chuckling. "I didn't come up wid thur name. That was Dr. Crayson. They say he was a bit drunk at the time, but once ya all learn bout 'em, I think yull see that it fits. Now, these are rather dangerous creatures. They may look to some of you what are known as ducks. But I tell ya all, these aint no ducks. The name is a combo of the words Flaming Ducks." Gemna giggled at what the portrait of the Fat Lady might say if she knew the password was an actual creature. "Today ya all are gonna be drawin diagrams of them. You'll be needin them gloves from your shopping lists and a block of ice from over there." The table that was covered in jars last class was now replaced with something resembling a combination of an inflatable pool and a giant glass. "I'll let you discuss things with each other s'long ya all do yur own work. Once you got your boards from over there," he pointed to a pile of wooden boards by the entrance, "and everythin else is set up, come ter me and I'll get you a Fluck. And I don wanna here anotha word bout the name!"            The class couldn't help but crack up. Hagrid had to be right about that Dr. Crayson being drunk.

            After about twenty minutes, everyone had a Flaming Duck sitting on a block of ice with a wooden board propped up next to it. Ron moaned as he kept having to cast erasing charms on his to get rid of wrong lines or misspelled labels. Harry's Fluck, he felt, resembled too much of a small tree. Hermione got it pretty close, but then Malfoy purposely shoved her and her ink spilled all over. Hagrid took ten points from Slytherin and gave Hermione a new board to use. Gemna's resembled the creature more than the creature itself. She had colored it with a charm no one was fortunate enough to overhear, and she enchanted it so it spoke the body part when you pointed to it, rather than writing all the names. Of course, she didn't make the flames real, but the whole image looked realistic enough that the Fluck she was modeling it after kept waddling into the board, trying to make contact with it. Cho and her clique congratulated her as Hagrid presented the display to the class and awarded Gryffindor the ten points Slytherin had lost. They could all hear the bell in the distance as the applause died down and went off to their next classes.

            Transfiguration went by pretty quick, Harry mentioned as they sat down to dinner. The butterfly project from the previous day came out pretty well. A few enchantments and wand waves, hand waves for Gemna, and the room filled with gorgeous butterflies. Even Malfoy himself was in awe. They were about three times as big as normal butterflies and acted like flying cats, rubbing up against peoples' arms and legs. Professor gave everyone passing grades, even Neville who had accidentally given his and Lavender's a third wing. "We've had some cool projects so far," Harry said after a couple bites of spaghetti. "I hope it's a sign of a good school year."

            "Oh," Gemna said, "I have a feeling this year will be very enjoyable."

            After dinner, a meeting was called in the boys' dorm again over levitation. All trusted Gryffindors of fifth and sixth years attended. Which meant every single one of them. Hermione, Gemna, and Ginny did the guys the favor of tidying up the room first, in turn for them doing the rest of their homework. Just as Neville put his quill away, students began to file in. everyone sad in a mob on the floor, with the exception of Harry and Gemna who stood in front of everyone to present the fine details. "Thanks for coming," Hermione said to everyone as they signed a piece of parchment when they walked through the door. She pulled the same trick as last year and hexed the paper so no one could give away the secret to untrustworthy people. Once everyone had arrived, she locked the door and Harry began presenting the situation. "Thanks for coming, everyone. Now, I would like you to all know that a charm has been put on the paper you all just signed. Anyone who betrays the group by revealing the secret, well, they won't be too happy. Anyone who is at this meeting and wants to invite someone else, they must consult us first. Anyone who is here now and has changed their minds about registering for levitation lessons, come to us afterwards and we'll be more than happy to assist in a memory modifying charm. Anyways, Gemna, would you care to explain the rest?"

            Gemna smiled at Harry and turned to the group. "Ginny and Ron are passing out forms. Please fill them out and return them tonight with the requested fee." There was some light whispering as the two Weasleys handed out papers. "Our first class will be next Friday. We will tell you during that day just where to go for it. The following people are to meet Hermione and me in our room after this to become assistants. With over thirty of us, we'll need a lot of assistants. Ginny, Emilia, Courtney, Maria, Shania, and Michelle. The following guys will meet here tomorrow night with Harry and Ron. I may stop by to help. Colin, Jared, John, Nick, Josh, and Seamus. I'm aware some of you may protest as to why you were not chosen. It was a tough process, but I had to check everyone's auras to see how easily you could pick up the talent. Everyone not called will have to learn solely through the classes. All other information on levitation will be revealed during the lessons. Please complete the forms before leaving and return them to us with one Sickle. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all next week at the first class."

            There was an immediate increase in volume as Gemna and the others walked over to the door and made sure to collect the correct items from everyone, checking off the names on the lists. Hermione reminded everyone to keep their mouths shut as they left. Once everyone was gone, Hermione and Ginny rushed back to the sixth year girls' room to begin training the six new assistants. Gemna agreed to go back in a few minutes after she discussed something with the guys. "Why weren't Neville and I chosen?" Dean questioned, doing his best not to be rude.

            "I told you, you're not going to be able to learn it as easily as the people I selected. I can't just pick the people I talk to the most," Gemna answered as Ron handed her the stack of forms he collected.

            "But nearly all the girls you chose are in your room," he protested.

            "Yes, and I had a tough choice with that. It's easier for girls to levitate than guys, so the number of people to choose from was greater. Look, I better be getting back. Ron, I'm sorry we didn't get to finish that conversation before. We'll hang tomorrow in Divination. Professor Trelawney said we would need partners for tomorrow. See you all in the morning." She hugged Harry one handedly, as he was closest to where she was standing, and left.

            As they watched her walk away, Dean turned to Ron. "Did that give you enough time?"

            "Yup," he answered. "I feel kinda bad bout it, but I slipped the extendable ear in the pile of papers. I put that invisibility charm we learned a while back on it so she won't find it. Don't worry bout getting it back. It'll dissolve in a few hours. Fred and George modified it."

            Dean closed the door and locked it, Ron dug through his stuff to get the other end, and Harry, Neville, and Seamus made themselves comfortable on the edge of the two beds in the most central point of the room.


	9. Dare

Note to T, Jay, Court, Emily, Shannon, and Michelle (and anyone else who this could possibly affect): My only request is that none of you kill me for this; I had a fever when I wrote it (which is why none of you saw me today) and I think they must be putting alcohol in the medicine now. Either that or I'm just plain nutz. Or both. Lol.__

She walked in and set the forms down on a nightstand, unaware of what was hidden in them. The seven girls were already there. After she made sure everyone changed into flowing outfits (a few had to borrow Gemna's dresses with the help of "blekeya tetlarro"), she told them to all lie on their backs on beds. "Gemna?" Ginny said. "There's only five beds and six of us need to lie down."

            "No problem. Just hand me one of those tissues, please." Ginny handed her the tissue and Gemna set it on the floor. She pointed to it and said, "Akemshift!"

            "What did she just do?" Seamus asked.

            "Sounds like she transfigured a bed from a tissue," said Ron.

            Dean smirked. "I can see where that could come in useful."

            Harry elbowed him and said, "You're sick." They all laughed before Ron reminded them that they were missing the conversation on the other end of the Extendable Ears.

            "Wow, thanks Gemna!" Ginny said as she lied down. "How did you do that?"

            Hermione answered for her. "It's the Makeshift Charm. You find an item with similar qualities of what you need, picture it transforming into the necessary item, and say the charm. It'll stay like that for three hours."

            "Cool. Well, now what do we do?" asked Emilia.

            "Okay, everyone clear their mind. Relax. Everything is at peace. Yet there is nothing. Relax." Gemna and Hermione walked around the room to see that everyone was calm. Ron, Harry, and the other guys waited anxiously to see what would happen. "Now," Gemna continued once everyone was ready. "Picture yourself lifting up; nothing but that. No surroundings; just you lifting up. Your body floating…your spirit lifting…your soul at one with the world around you."

            "She talks so beautifully," said Neville in a daydream tone.

            The girls began to rise slightly off the beds. "Good. Now imagine yourselves flying through wonderful places; floating through your dreams. Be at peace. Fly through a field of flowers. Glide across clouds." Gemna gave Hermione a congratulations smile for being so helpful. The girls had managed to levitate high above their beds now. Courtney was four feet above hers.

            "If I floated through one of my dreams, it wouldn't be very peaceful," Harry said. "Like that one with the flaming duck." He added once he saw the smug look on Dean's face.

            "I just realized something," Neville said to change the subject. "You three are gonna have to do this tomorrow night."

            "Oh my god, I never thought about that," Seamus said nervously. "I don't wanna wear a dress!"

            The other guys laughed. "Don't worry," Dean said. "I'm sure you don't have to wear a dress. Besides, you can always borrow one of hers." They laughed again and quieted to hear more of the dialogue in the girls' room.

            "Okay, I think that's good for now. You all pretty much got the hang of it. Now imagine your bodies and spirits safely lowering back down. The keyword is safely. If you don't think safely, your body and spirit could lower separately and you could end up dead…or just injured. But don't risk it." The girls all lowered safely back onto the beds and sat up as the guys gave each other terrified looks. Could that really happen or was she just joking?

            "That was amazing!" Shania shouted.

            "I feel so refreshed an energetic now," said Maria.

            "And we get to teach the others how to do this?" asked Michelle.

            "Yes, you do." Gemna answered. "However, none of them will be able to learn in one lesson like you girls. It's a gift to be able to learn it this quick. It'll take the first three or four classes to get everyone levitating, probably. After that, we'll let select few learn free levitation. This means they can levitate on the floor, from a chair, standing…anywhere. Well, pretty much. However, not even all of you will be able to do this…" Gemna lifted off the ground and floated around the room, before landing back where she started.

            "Cool!" Courtney yelled.

            "What did she do?" Ron asked.

            Harry shook his head. "I don't know if we'll ever find out."

            "Probably no more than three people out of all who signed up can even get close to that," she said as nicely as possible. "Well, that pretty much covers everything. It's only ten-thirty. Still early…" they all sat down on the beds again; Gemna and Hermione sat with Emilia and Ginny.

            "Hey," Emilia said. "I know what we can do." She smiled devilishly as the others turned towards her in question. "Let's play truth or dare."

            They guys jumped up and cheered. "Yes!" yelled Dean. "We couldn't have asked for a better conversation. Ron, you have to give your brothers a major thank you for this Extendable Ear thing. And ask them to send me a dozen." They all laughed as they stopped their cheering and listened eagerly.

            "Sounds good," Ginny said. "I haven't played it in a while."

            "I've never played it. What do you do?" Hermione asked to no one's surprise.

            "It's easy," Gemna explained. "Somebody picks someone else and the chosen person chooses truth or dare. If it's a dare, they have to do whatever the dare is. Is they pick truth, they have to answer whatever question they're asked, truthfully."

            "Okay…but nothing dangerous, right?" she checked.

            "Nothing like killing yourself or jumping off the roof," Michelle clarified. "Now who should get to choose first?"

            "I think Gemna should," Shania said. The other girls agreed.

            "Well, alright. I pick…" Gemna looked around the room. "Emilia. It was her idea to play," she giggled.

            Emilia thought for a moment. "Dare."

            "Dare?" she laughed. "Well, I don't want to get into the more…_interesting_ dares yet. So your first dare is to…hm…do back flips up and down the stair case."

            "No problem," she said. "My Mum had me take gymnastics for four years." All the girls walked to the door. Emilia turned around and did about fifteen consecutive back flips down the stairs and another fifteen back up. Several girls looked out of their dorms and most of the students in the common room stared at her when she reached the bottom of the steps. The girls walked back into the room, closed the door, and sat down again. "That wasn't so bad of a dare. You could have dared me to do it nude or something."

            "I haven't played this game at this school before. I don't know what you all consider acceptable. One time when I played it last year," Gemna said, "one of my friends dared someone else to run around the school naked. They both got detention for a month. At least they both got boyfriends after." They all laughed. "Well, Emilia, it's your turn to pick someone.

            "I choose…Hermione."

            "Truth," she said immediately.

            "Alright. Who do you have a crush on? And we all know you like someone so don't lie," Emilia giggled.

            Hermione sighed. "Nothing said in hear will be repeated outside this room, right?" They all nodded. "Okay. I like…Ron."

            Ron's heart stopped and his jaw dropped as the guys turned towards him. "Congratulations, Ron," Neville said. "Hermione is a great girl. You're lucky."

            He just stared at the floor as the thought sunk in. Ron didn't know how to react. He liked both Gemna and Hermione. But now he wasn't sure if he really _loved_ either of them, or merely cared for them as if they were sisters.

            "You like my brother?" Ginny giggled. "Maybe one day we'll be sisters!"

            "That'd be cool," Hermione said, much more relieved at the acceptance she was receiving from the rest of the group. "Well, I suppose it's my turn to choose someone now, isn't it? How bout Maria?"

            "Dare. I feel like doing something risky," she said with a giggle.

            "Risky? If you insist." Hermione walked over to her and whispered something in her ear. Then she pointed her wand at her, whispered an incantation, and they all watched the door open, with no sign off what happened to Maria.

            "What did you dare her to do?" asked Courtney.

            "Oh, you'll see. I felt it was only fair to make her invisible first. But if she doesn't hurry, it'll wear off. It's only good for ten minutes."

            "What happened?" asked Seamus. Just then, there was a small noise from outside their door, and it unlocked and opened. There was no one there. The guys pretended not to notice and acted like they were talking about Quiditch. None of them were sure what was going on, but they didn't want to risk getting caught, so Ron hid the Extendable Ear. They didn't look, but they heard something like a cabinet open, followed by the soft click of the door being closed again. Ron took the Ear back out. "Okay, do we really want to know now?"

            Before any of the other guys could answer, Hermione's voice came over the Ear and she was obviously undoing the invisibility charm. "I got 'em!" Maria exclaimed. Maria held up Harry's boxers. "They didn't even notice I was in the room! They were talking about Quiditch." The guys waited anxiously to hear exactly what it was that she had gotten.

            "Wow," Gemna giggled. "Harry has some interesting taste in clothing. Blue and green isn't really a good color combination for him though."

            Harry's jaw dropped as their heads slowly turned towards a half-opened drawer. "Oh shit," he said quietly as the others laughed.

            "Harry!" Ron cracked up and fell backwards on the bed. "She took…" He couldn't even finish the sentence before bursting into laughter again. Harry slid off the bed and sunk to the floor, gripping his knees to his chest and staring at his feet.

            "Okay," Maria said once they all calmed down and Gemna put the boxers under her mattress. Ginny caught a glimpse of _Essence Of Self_ again. "I pick Ginny."

            "I'll go with truth. You're not getting me to go steal anyone's underwear," she laughed.

            Maria giggled and said, "What's the furthest you've ever gone with a guy?"

            Ginny bit her lip and answered, "Just making out. That's not _that_ bad, is it?"

            "Nah," Michelle said. "I once heard of some twelve year old muggle having a baby! So making out by the age of fifteen isn't bad."

She sighed in relief, as Ron grew very overprotective. "I'm gonna hunt down whoever that guy is and strangle him," he said fiercely as he made a choking motion with his hands.

"Calm down, Ron," Dean said. "Michelle's right. She's fifteen now. She coulda done worse by now. She's been pretty angelic compared to some people. I accidentally saw Ariel and Jared half naked behind a stare case one time two years ago. Trust me, you don't want to picture it. I had to wash my eyes with soap after." They all laughed; though Ron only felt slightly more relaxed.

"Now it's my turn. I pick…you, Michelle," Ginny said.

"I guess I'll do truth," she said quietly.

"Okay. I'm not asking this in a sick kind of way or anything; just in general: what's the weirdest dream you ever had?" She really did mean it in general, contradictory to the guys' opinion.

"I would have to say the one I had around the end of last year."

"What was it about?" Emilia questioned.

Michelle looked up at her. "That that Umbridge woman was slowly tortured to death with fire and sharp objects and the universe celebrated as mutant fire ants gnawed at her rotting flesh." Both rooms went silent.

"Um…right…" Ginny tried to get the image out of her mind, though she almost wished it was true.

"Sorry," Michelle said with a faint smile. "But that was the weirdest dream I ever had. Let's move on. I pick…Courtney."

"What the Hell," Courtney said. "Dare."

"Hm…ah, I know. Say one nice thing about Malfoy," Michelle laughed.

The guys actually wanted to hear this. "Well," Courtney said, "if I _have_ to. He's got nice muscles." All the girls laughed. The guys were repulsed.

"Yeah," Hermione agreed. "For the meanest, most rotten jerk in the school, he's pretty good-looking."

"Just for the record, I only said that because I Was dared to. It never leaves this room. Neither does anything else, right?"

"Of course. Now it's your turn to pick someone, Court. It'll be the last one tonight. It's almost twelve," Emilia said.

"Good. I pick Gemna."

"Dare," Gemna said.

"And it can be anything that isn't deadly, right?" Courtney asked. Maria nodded at her. "Okay. I dare you to strip in front of the guys; whether or not they're still awake."

"Fine. I don't mind," Gemna said with a giggle.

The guys' faces lit up. "Oh no!" Neville said as the others went nuts with excitement. "What are you guys so happy about? Don't you think it'll be the slightest bit suspicious if we're all sitting here waiting?"

You're right," Harry said. "Come on guys. We got to get changed for bed fast." 

They all rushed into nightclothes, turned off the lights, and jumped into their beds just in time to hear Gemna coming up the stares. The door creaked open and the guys pretended to be sleeping. "I swear, if I get caught, I'm gonna strangle Courtney," she whispered to herself. She held her breath, walked into the center of the room, and took off her clothes. They were all incredibly happy that it was too dark to see them, but the light from the window shined on her. "Okay, now I can say I did it. I better get out of here." Gemna threw her dress on and ran out of the room, closing the door behind her.

They all sat up and turned on the lights. "My new favorite game is truth or dare," Seamus said.

"That has got to be the best thing to ever happen at this school," Ron laughed.

Harry looked on the floor where Gemna stood moments ago. "Hey, look," he said.

The guys looked at what Harry was staring at as voices returned to the Extendable Ears.

Gemna walked back into her dormitory and slammed herself onto her bed. She noticed the one form the spell earlier had vanished. "Were they awake?" Emilia asked anxiously.

"Well, the lights were out and they were all in their beds. But I've been in there when they were sleeping before and I really can't tell. But I hope they…" Gemna stopped. "Oh dear God," she said as she crossed her arms.

"What?" they all asked together.

"I left my bra there! What am I going to tell them? How can I get it back?" A tear dripped down her face.

"Well you said they were sleeping, right? Just go back in and get it," Michelle said.

"They might not be sleeping anymore. I accidentally slammed the door when I was leaving."

Hermione sat down by Gemna and tried to comfort her. "I'm sure there's something we could do. Maybe we can work out a trade. Harry's boxers for your bra." They all laughed; even Gemna.

"You're right. I'm sure somehow we can resolve this whole thing in the morning. I promised Ron since we could spend more time together tomorrow since we were so busy today. Maybe that'll help. We better get to bed. I don't think I'll be getting up early in the morning." They all said goodnight to Michelle and Ginny as they left; then they got changed for bed and went to sleep.

"Harry," Seamus said. "Do you realize what this could lead to? She's desperate to get that back and she still has your boxers. You heard. You could ask her for anything; more than just your stupid underwear."

"I don't want to take advantage of her," he said as he picked up her bra and put it on a shelf.

"Take advantage of her?" Ron said rhetorically. "We just spent almost four hours spying on her and now your concerned about whether or not you should ask for a favor in return for her stealing your boxers?"

"Look, we'll do what she said and work it out in the morning. I'm going back to bed." Harry turned out the lights without waiting for a response from the others and got back into bed. Not as though any of them could sleep, however.


	10. Change Is

**I know this chapter's short, but I _had_ to get something posted! I promise a much longer chapter 11. By the way, enjoy the sporks, T! lol.**

            The seven girls slowly awoke as sunlight trickled in through the windows. Michelle and Ginny came in just as the sixth years were putting on footwear. Ginny and Michelle sat down by Gemna once she had gotten the last buckle on her shoes. "You gonna be okay talking to the guys today?" Ginny asked sympathetically as Gemna shoved the boxers in her bag.

            She sighed and said, "Yeah, I hope so. I'm praying a house elf found my bra and is using it as a rag. At least the guys will never see it that way." Hermione shook her head and muttered something about the comparison of guys to house elves.

            "Look," Courtney said, trying to be the voice of reason. "For now, we better stick to our normal routine. Don't act suspicious and they may not notice. If they bring it up, then we'll settle it. If not, then we act like it never happened…for the rest of our lives." They all stared into space for a moment before descending to the common room in mob form.

            The guys were surprisingly slower than the girls in getting ready. They couldn't stop talking about the night before. Ron expected to feel guiltier, but he was actually rather excited. "What do you think she'll say, Harry?"

            Harry, however, was somewhat frightened. "I really don't want to think about it. Look, we'll just have to avoid the subject as much as possible. If they bring it up, we'll talk about it. If not, no one says a word. Got it?" Everyone nodded as Harry glared around the room and turned towards the door.

            Classes that day were unusually silent, and the teachers certainly noticed. Professor Trelwaney kept going on about how she'd foreseen this ("The signs have been haunting me for days! Terrible news has brought silence to the young. I should have told you. The spirits must be testing us…"). History Of Magic was useful napping time. Professor Binns was in a bad mood and just went on about how much easier the students had it now then in his days. Herbology and Charms in the morning did have some light conversation in between copying notes and recording the difference between Bluebell seeds and Sadbell seeds. It seemed as though the world was determined to keep them focused on their misery, as Michelle had put it. When they entered the common room after dinner, there was a sudden realization: Gemna was supposed to be teaching the boys how to levitate tonight. The other girls looked to her for an answer as the boys pretended not to notice and began discussing favorite candies. Gemna stepped aside with the other girls so they could discuss a plan. "You can't do this by yourself," Maria said. "Let me go with you. I'm the one who took the stupid boxers anyway."

            "No, I should go," Hermione said. "It was my dumb dare."

            "But Gemna wouldn't have lost her bra if it weren't for me," Courtney whined guiltily. "I should do it."

            "Girls, stop." Gemna had to put both her hands over Ginny and Emilia's mouths to stop their bickering. "Look, I got to do this on my own. We can't show weakness. If we let them think a stupid article of clothing makes us go to pieces, they'll start taking advantage of us like that." She snapped her fingers. "I have Harry's boxers in my bag. I'll just slip it into his draw while they're levitating and figure out where they put my bra. I need you six to go back to the dorm and file the forms. I'll be back as soon as I can." They all sighed and agreed that it was for the best. Maria hugged her and whispered "words of strength" in her ear ("If they make the slightest move on you, let me know and I'll have them pinned to the walls with sporks!"). 

            Gemna laughed and walked over to the boys. She saw they had already gotten the others that she had selected. "Ready to go?"

            "Wait a second," Dean said. "What are Neville and I supposed to do?"

            "Homework," Gemna said wittily and turned towards the stairs as the eight boys followed her.

            They all filed in behind Gemna as she placed three tissues on the floor and cast the Makeshift Charm a few times. Ron, Harry and Seamus tried to act as surprised as the fifth years. "Okay," she said as she turned to face the boys. "To levitate, you need to be relaxed and open. The closest you can get to that is to take off your socks and shoes and any accessories such as glasses. You can keep them right by the beds so you don't loose them. It works best in flowing garments like dresses, or, to tell the truth, nude, but I really think we'd be better off doing it this way." The guys stared around at each other, their faces slowly changing to the color of fresh strawberries. To break the unusual stillness, Harry sat down on his bed and began to untie his shoes. Ron did the same, followed by Seamus and then the fifth years. Once everyone was done, Gemna continued, "Now everybody needs to lie down. Yes, on your backs, like Ron. Right, now clear your mind. Open yourself to everything, yet there's nothing."

            She walked around and saw some of the guys make weird faces with their eyes closed, trying to figure out what they were really supposed to do. After a while, they all seemed pretty relaxed, so she went on. "Now imagine yourself lifting up. Slowly rising…." She continued the normal steps that she had done with the girls. The guys were doing better than she expected. Ron and Seamus were both several feet above their beds. Colin, John and Nick had some trouble starting, but now they were a good meter or so in the air. Jared and Josh were only a few inches above their beds, but after some calming words from Gemna, they lifted much higher. Harry was the only one who kept sinking back down. "Alright, everyone maintain your thoughts, keep levitating in good places. Harry, you come here. I need to talk to you.

            Harry sat up and followed Gemna just outside the door. As he looked back, he couldn't believe what was actually happening. It seamed so surreal. "Harry," Gemna said in a hushed tone. She sighed and pulled a green and blue blob of cloth out from behind her. "Maria and Hermione send their apologies, as well as the rest of us. I know this is what's keeping you from levitating; a guilty consciences. Ron and Seamus are doing well because they don't have the same relationship with me as you do. I know you care about me and I care about you, too. But there's no way I'm going to let you try this tonight. You heard my warning last night and I'm not going to let you risk death to levitate. I'll give you private instruction on what to do next Tuesday. The girls and I have plans until then."

            He just stood there, dumbfounded. 'She knows what happened? She knows I love her? What the bloody hell is going on?' "Gemna…I don't know how," he began to say, but she interrupted.

            "I just do. Now, if you don't mind, I would like my bra back please," she said with a giggle. He went into the room and came back a few moments later with the lingerie in his hand. He handed it to her and tried to avoid eye contact. "Harry, I can't tell you how I know what's been going on. Just know I'm not mad at you. A lot of guys are curious what goes on in a girl's mind. Any guy with access to such spying equipment would have done the same thing. I also want you to know," she leaned toward his ear and whispered, "I love you too." She turned to head back inside before she said, "Oh, I'd appreciate it if this conversation was never repeated and if the guys ask, pretend as though you did levitate. Say about two and a half feet."

            She walked in the room and put her bra in her bag as Harry lied down on the bed and tried to pretend he actually had levitated, as Gemna had said. She then guided the other seven boys safely back down to the beds, warning them of the dangers of not doing it safely. Harry timed it just right and sat up, rubbing his eyes and reaching for his glasses, just as the rest of them were returning to reality.

            "That's really refreshing," Nick said. "I feel so relaxed now."

            "Me too," added Colin. "This is so cool, Gemna, thanks."

            She grinned as the guys all complimented her and put their shoes back on. "So that's basically what we've got to teach everyone next Friday?" asked Jared.

            "Yeah. Of course, there are advancements after that such as levitating not on a bed, or even standing up, which I'm not sure all of you will be able to do. As time progresses, the number of participants in this will decrease. This includes you. About six of you will probably be segregated from later lessons. It's not anything against you all; some people just don't have the aura for it. Now, don't reveal anything to anyone. This remains a secret. If not, that paper you all signed, and the forms, were all hexed. Believe me, you don't want that hex upon you. I suggest you all return to your dorms now and get some rest. Although this may feel relaxing, truth is that it really does take a lot out of your auras on your first few tries. You can stay up and talk a bit, do homework and things like that, but don't go doing anything strenuous." The fifth years all said goodnight to her and headed back to their dorm. Gemna then hugged Seamus, Ron and Harry goodnight and headed to hers.

            "What about the…" Ron began to say.

            "Consider it taken care of," Harry said. A few minutes later, Neville and Dean came in. They all discussed what it was like, Harry just agreeing with the other two, and went to bed early.

            "How'd it go?" Courtney asked anxiously as Gemna walked in and set her bag down.

            "Pretty good. They all levitated pretty well. Harry and I exchanged the clothing, and the whole thing is in the past. Let's just go to bed. I have plans for the eight of us tomorrow, as well as Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. You'll see. Just be sure to get plenty of rest tonight." They all said goodnight to Ginny and Michelle as they headed back to their room, and got changed for bed. Gemna's nightgown was different tonight: an all white, plain, silk dress. It barely had sleeves and reached the floor.

            "Why the change in outfit?" Emilia questioned.

            "Change can be good," she said as she got into bed and the lights went out. 'Or bad.'


	11. Part Of The Art

            The previous day had been exhausting. The students were up until midnight finishing homework so they'd have free time on the weekend. Professor Vector had assigned a review of pretty much everything they'd done since they'd first set foot in the class years ago. When the girls woke up around mid-day, Gemna and Dobby were standing at the ends of their beds with trays of food for breakfast. "Good morning. Dobby and Miss Rodemlovt have brought you food so you did not go hungry," Dobby said with a smile.

            After seeing that the girls got their breakfasts and were conscious enough to hold a knife and fork, Gemna and Dobby brought food to the boys who woke up about an hour after the girls. "Gemna? Dobby? What are you two doing here?" Harry questioned.

            "We didn't want you guys to miss breakfast," Gemna said, "so Dobby was nice enough to sneak some pretty decent portions out of the kitchen; enough for all eleven of you. Now eat up. I'm keeping my promise today, Harry. You wanted to come with me, well, today I'm going. I'll be back around 3:00pm to pick you up."

After she and the house-elf handed trays to all the guys and left, the other boys questioned the incident. "What promise? Where are you two going?" Ron asked.

"I'm…I'm not sure. I can't remember," Harry lied as he took a bite of toast.

Back in the girls' dorm, once Gemna had returned, the girls couldn't stop discussing what was planned for that night; though, none of them actually knew, with the exception of Gemna. "I'm sorry we didn't have time to do last night what we'll be doing tonight," she said. "I can't give you information on it yet, but I know you'll enjoy it."

"Aw, come on," Emilia begged. "Can't you tell us anything? I hate waiting!"

"Please? Can you at least tell us where whatever it is will be?" Courtney asked.

Gemna sighed. "Sorry, I can't. Too much risk of somebody else showing up. And I prefer it to only be us." After nearly an hour of gossip and pleading, the girls finally gave in and didn't question any further on the subject.

By around 1:30pm, all but Gemna had left to roam the campus. She locked the door and closed the curtains. A draw back of her wrist and lift of her head and a black book with silver pages flew into her hand. "Ah, Essence of Self," she whispered as she clutched the book to her chest. Gemna summoned a pillow to a spot on the floor in front of her and, with the help of the Makeshift Charm, Gemna sat down in an excruciatingly comfortable black leather armchair. She then put her hand out and snapped all her fingers into her palm, causing every light in the room to go out. For moments, there was nothing but darkness.

Gemna lightly ran her perfectly manicured nails down the front cover of the book before sliding them to the edge and opening it. A bright glow shined back at her, lighting up the whole room. There was a soft note; about a medium D. It went continuously, growing louder and louder, still keeping the constant sound. Just when it seemed the volume couldn't ascend anymore, a black shadowy figure swirled out of the book and stood before the naturally pale girl. "Hello," said a hushed voice as the figure embraced Gemna.

"Ready to go?" Gemna said as she walked into the boys' dorm. Harry said goodbye to the jealous and curious guys and walked out with Gemna. When they had reached an empty hallway, they laced fingers and kept walking. "So what have you been doing today?"

"Just thinking of a couple choice words for Myrtle," he said with a sly look. "You?"

"Nothing," Gemna answered abruptly. "Oh, was that picture always there?" She wasn't just trying to change the subject. The two students stopped in front of a portrait of a scarlet book and quill on a red velvet blanket. "How interesting. Still life is very popular among muggles, but all paintings in our world move. This one must do something."

"Maybe the person who writes in the book wandered off," Harry said, growing more interested by the minute. "Or maybe it's meant to be still. Art's a free thing. No rules. No restrictions."

At this, the cover of the book opened and there was a short list of names. Gemna and Harry read them out loud in unison as the pencil added a few words at the bottom. "Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Jean Courtlynn, Brian Dilzealand, Hazel Laceling, Draco Malfoy, Leo Rayson, Lavender Brown, Gemna Rodemlovt, Harry Potter."

They looked at each other for a minute until Harry spoke up. "Why do you think our names are on this list?"

Gemna thought for a moment. "I think the list is people who've taken time to consider the possibilities of the painting. Maybe it's to show that once you use your imagination for a painting or story, you become part of it."

"Wow," Harry said. "That's really profound. And so is this painting. It's a great addition for this school. And…so are you." They stared into each other's eyes for a moment and before they knew it, Harry's arms were wrapped around Gemna and their lips were locked. The kiss lasted for no more than ten seconds, but it felt like forever to them. Harry stepped back as his face glowed red. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Gemna asked.

"For...for kissing you like that. It was pretty forward. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she told him as a puzzled look grew on his face. "Did you not believe what I said yesterday? I told you I like you and I mean it. And that was a pretty good kiss," she laughed.

His face began to return to a more normal color and he smiled. "To tell the truth, I've only kissed once before. And that relationship didn't work out very well."

"I know, Cho told me," she smiled as the two of them sat down on the floor in front of the painting. "I'm not just saying this because I like you, but I really don't think she's your type. From what she's told me, she's into those filthy rich snobby guys. Her and Draco would make a good couple." They both laughed.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. "Um, Gemna?" Harry said as they stared at each other again. "Would…would you be my girlfriend?"

Though there was only a moment's pause, Harry felt like an eternity was passing, and he was positive his face was about as red as a tomato by the time he got an answer. "I'd love to," Gemna said with a grin. "But I want to be clear on something first. I don't like you because you're 'the boy who lived' or because you fight evil or anything like that. I love you for who you are: the sweet, caring, generous boy who has a heart of gold. That's how I see you."

Harry was overwhelmed with emotion. He just had to say what he'd been thinking since the first day of that school year. "I love you. I can't just say 'I love you, too' because I don't love you _also_. I love you my own way, whether you do or not. But I'm glad to hear you do." He kissed her softly on the lips and waited for a response.

"And you said I was profound." They both laughed. "So," she said as they stood up. "Do you still want to go see Myrtle?"

"Nah," he answered as they turned towards a new path he rarely ventured. "Freedom of speech. I know it's an American concept, but I agree she had a right to say what she said if she was involved in the situation."

"Hey, where are we going?" Gemna asked as they strolled down a dimly lit hallway leading to a stone staircase.

"I've been here with Hedwig a couple times when I just want some quiet. Not many people know about it. It's a nice little tower. You'll see." They made light conversation as the staircase drew nearer. They climbed the winding stairs nearly effortlessly, especially since it was three flights. "It's a charm," Harry told her when she seemed so surprised not to be breathless. "Some kind of thing that gives you extra oxygen."

He opened the door and closed it behind them as Gemna's eyes widened. Though she knew they weren't, it looked like they were outside…but not outside Hogwarts. They were somewhere overlooking snowy mountains, endless fields of flowers winding rivers, golden valleys, gardens of exotic fruit and vegetables, and emerald forests filled with life. Extra oxygen or not, she was now breathless. Gemna took a step back and into Harry's awaiting arms. He guided her to a hill only a few meters away and they sat down together. "I knew you'd like it," he said with a smile.

Gemna barely knew what to say. Harry's arm rapped around her back and she laid her head on his shoulder, gazing across the gorgeous landscape again. "It's beautiful. It reminds me of home. How…how'd you find this room?"

"The Marauder's Map," Harry answered. "It's a hidden thing that I found accidentally. You can only see it on the map when you're thinking of someone or something you love. I was thinking about my parents and I saw it appear. I didn't tell the others about it because sometimes I even come here to get away from them," he laughed. She giggled, too. "I've wanted to show it to you for days, but I didn't even know you liked me." He reached over with his other hand and picked a flower. It looked like a daisy, except it was all red and the petals were outlined in gold; the center silver.

Harry handed her the flower. "It smells just like my mother's favorite perfume. Eternity. I always loved it."

She held it loosely as Harry took it from her hand and put it in her hair. He sat back and looked at the girl he loved. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. 'I've never felt this way about anyone. Not even Cho,' he thought. 'I think I've met the girl of my dreams.'

She smiled, almost as if she knew what he was thinking. They leaned towards each other and their lips joined together almost as if they were magnetic. Gemna closed her eyes and Harry tilted his head. Their tongues caressed each other, as a rush of wind seemed to blow their bodies closer. Harry subconsciously put his hand on her leg, bringing Gemna back to reality. She licked his lips as she pulled away from him. "We need to get back to the dorms. The others will get suspicious.  Do you think we should tell them?"

Harry didn't want their time together to end, but he knew they had to go. He helped her up off the ground before he answered. "Well, I think it'll be much worse if they find out on their own. But it's not like I want our relationship to be in the _Daily Prophet_. We should probably tell them, but make sure they keep it a secret. If it does get out, though, I'm not going to stop seeing you if rumors start. I hope you feel the same."

"Of course," Gemna said as Harry opened the floating door and gave her a hand stepping up. "Rumors are nothing. We know what goes on between us and that's enough. Who cares what others think? I don't."

"Me either." They headed down the hallway and slowly back to the common room.

By the time they got there, the sun had already set and people were already starting to come back from dinner. Hermione, Ron, Dean, Ginny, and everyone else were waiting at the foot of the stairs leading to the boys' dorms. "Where in the seven Hells were you two?" Emilia questioned as soon as they approached.

"We've been waiting for you for hours!" Ron whined.

Gemna held Harry's hand and looked at him. He smiled back at her and turned to the others. "Gemna and I are going out," he sighed.

Maria filled with disappointment, but she tried not to show it. The others were in shock. Ron was outraged. "What? Since when?" He yelled furiously, jumping to his feet.

"Only this afternoon," he said as he stepped in front of Gemna in protection. Ron looked angry enough to attack.

The others still remained speechless. Hermione got up and stood by Gemna who was beginning to look rather depressed. Her and the other girls went to comfort Gemna while the guys stood by Ron. "Harry…" Dean said. "You knew we all liked her. How could you?"

"She said she likes me, too! You guys should be happy for me. I finally found someone who I really love. Not like Cho, that was nothing. Gemna really cares about me and I care about her. I don't care if you like her or not. Besides, you guys will find others. There are plenty of other girls you could date. It's not like Gemna's the only one in the school. You have no idea how hard it is for someone constantly having death threats and rumors spread to get a girlfriend! She doesn't care about that stuff. Maybe it won't work out, but I think it will. You guys will just have to get used to it." Harry stormed over to the girls who hugged him and gladly admitted him into the conversation. They were happy for the couple.

"I hate to say it," Seamus sighed, "but he's right. If she likes him, who are we to get in the way?"

"Who are we?" barked Ron who's skin now matched the color of his hair. "We're his friends! It's an unwritten rule: you can't date your friend's crush!"

"Unwritten rule or not," Dean answered in Harry's defense, "she's not property. She doesn't belong to one person. If Harry was fortunate enough to hook up with Gemna, we should be happy for him. An even more significant unwritten rule is that you back your friends when no one else will. And since no one else is, I'm siding with Harry."

"Me too," Seamus said.

Ron glared at Neville. "S-sorry Ron. I got to side with Harry."

"If you're supposed to back your friends, why aren't you backing me?" he hissed.

"Because you know there's a girl dying to date you. And I'm sure there are others besides her. You're a good guy. You can get a girl without too much trouble. Harry's right. With all the rumors constantly spread about him and all the attacks from evil creatures, not many girls are doing back flips to go out with him," Dean said as the voice of reason.

Ron took a moment of silence to think about everything he'd just heard. "I guess you're right. I mean, I know I'm no girl magnet, but I can get a date easier than Harry. And I know of at least one girl who'd go out with me." He looked across the room to Hermione and turned back to the others. "I guess I should go apologize to Harry." The other guys gave him approving looks as Ron walked over to his best friend. "Harry?" Harry turned around and anger returned to his face, but only momentarily. "I'm sorry. I should have been more supportive. Can you forgive me?"

Harry patted Ron on the back and nodded. "I knew you'd come around. Besides," he whispered, "Hermione seems to be a bit jealous of being single. Tomorrow or even tonight would be a good time to ask her. Come on, you know you like her, too." He gave Ron a shove jokingly.

"Okay, okay. So I like her too. Just give me some time. I'm nervous." He looked down at his watch. "Shit, we missed dinner."

"That's okay," Gemna said as she walked over with the rest of the girls. Ginny and I practiced a spell at the beginning of the week that we can use to make food from nearly nothing. If you guys can just get us a few spider webs, plants and bugs, we can whip up some pretty good dishes in about ten minutes."

"Sure," Seamus said as he and the guys walked over. "We can get the bugs. I just read a book on frogs. It made insects sound pretty good." He laughed.

"Well, you guys can get bugs. I'm not touching them. Especially not spider webs." Ron shuddered.

"Courtney, Emilia, Maria, and I are gonna get the plants. You can come with us," Hermione said. Ron and the guys exchanged looks and him and the five girls walked off.

The guys left shortly after as Michelle, Gemna and Ginny headed up to the guys dorm, knowing the guys couldn't go to theirs. They set up some cauldrons and lit floating fires. Michelle and Ginny used the Makeshift Charm on some shoes and shoelaces to turn them into plates and silverware. Gemna used her Indegica to conjure some potions out of midair. "Wicked," Michelle said as a magenta liquid filled one of the three cauldrons. "That Indegica thing is so cool. I wish I had it." Gemna just replied with a smirk.

Moments later, everyone returned with the ingredients needed. Ginny sorted and measured them as Gemna added them to the mix. They insisted all the others sat down at the table they created from the nightstand. In ten minutes, just as Gemna had promised, the twelve students sat down to a feast of lobster, roast duck, ceaser salad, and many other things they normally would find at a fancy restaurant. "We should do this more often," Neville said with a mouth full of food.

Gemna sighed. "I wish I could. But the potions needed to make this are hard to get and I can only conjure so much of them. I probably won't be able to get them again for a month or so. I used about twenty-something different ones."

Harry kissed her cheek. "Aw, why didn't you tell us? I would have preferred to eat just the bugs if I knew you'd have to suffer."

"It's okay. It was worth it," she said. "And I'm not suffering. I just can't take advantage of my full powers for a while. I can still do like spells and stuff. But I can't do anything that you guys can't."

"Wait a second," Courtney interrupted nervously. "Can you still levitate?"

"I…I don't know. But I'm not going to try until next Friday when the classes start. I don't want to use up too much extra energy. But if I can't, there are thirteen others who can levitate well enough to do the first class or two."

After no one could eat another bite, Gemna swooshed her hand and vanished all the leftovers and garbage. Hermione restored the shoes and everything else to their original state and they all said good night to each other. Ron kissed Hermione's cheek. "See you in the morning." She hugged him and left with all the girls but Gemna who was too busy cuddling with Harry by the window.

"Congrats, Ron," Dean said with a friendly punch. "You finally asked her out. Took you long enough."

"Well, I finally realized how much I like her. I can't see what I liked in Gemna. I mean, she's practically perfect and all, but now it seems foolish to have a crush on her; at least for me. I'm happy for Harry." The four of them got change for bed, seeing as Gemna and Harry were too distracted with stargazing to notice.

About half an hour later, Harry gave Gemna a brief goodbye kiss, and she left for bed. "So what's it like, Harry?" Seamus asked. "You know, snogging with one of the most perfect girls on Earth."

Harry raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and climbed into bed. "That's not how I see it. You make it sound like I'm dating her just for that."

"What he means," Ron interrupted, "is what's it like snogging?"

Everyone laughed a bit. "Oh come on, I'm not the only one who's done it." Harry said told them.

"But you're the only one who's done it with someone you're, not mention half the school, really in love with. It's not the same with people you don't truly care about. There's more passion in a kiss between lovers." They all turned to see Neville who had been silent all day until that point (with the exception of supporting Harry in the earlier argument).

"We're not sleeping together!" Harry laughed.

"Not yet," joked Dean. "So tell us already!"

"Well," he said, "Neville's right. There is a lot of passion in it; nothing like my kiss with Cho last year. When Gemna's lips touch mine, I feel like my life's perfect. I feel like as long as she's there, nothing can go wrong. I feel…" Harry stared into space for a moment.

"Horny?" Dean laughed. The others burst into laughter with him, even Harry. Ron's face glowed pink and he fell backwards on his bed.

"That's not my word of choice," Harry responded as soon as he caught his breath. "But I guess I do feel that emotion."

"I really don't think we need to hear anymore," Seamus said. "Goodnight." They all said goodnight to each other and went to sleep.

Gemna was verbally attacked the moment she closed the door behind her and turned to change into her nightgown. "Tell us what it's like?" Courtney begged.

"I can't believe you kissed Harry!" Emilia squealed.

Hermione and Ginny were the only ones not bombarding Gemna with inquiries. "Come on," Ginny said. "Leave her alone. It's her relationship and she doesn't have to tell if she doesn't want to."

"Maybe another time, girls." Gemna turned towards her closet again to get changed when she remembered her promise. "Oh, I almost forgot. Remember I said I had plans for us?" They all hushed and turned to her. "Get changed into nightgowns. Not pajamas. It must be a nightgown. If you don't have one, I can give you one."

Michelle and Ginny left and Hermione, Courtney, Emilia, Maria, and Gemna all changed. About ten minutes later, the other two returned. "So what exactly are we doing?" Michelle asked as they all sat down in a circle on the floor.

"Well, tonight there's a story I want to share with you all." Gemna sat down on the floor and used her Indegica to summon Essence Of Self and turn off all the lights. She opened the cover of the book and the room was filled with a mystical light. "Book of self, show us your power. Your time is limited, merely an hour. Show us your strength, just what you can do. Bring out the souls, bring out the true!" Gemna was singing a reasonably quick-paced chant with a ceremonial dance to match. The other girls were rather freaked. Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand and Maria and Courtney huddled together. A red and beige cloud was forming from above the book. "Ginny Weasley," a voice hissed.

"Good morning my love," Harry said as he took Gemna's hand and kissed her cheek. The other girls descended the stairs just behind her. "Sleep well?"

"Very well, thank you. And you?" Gemna licked her rosy lips and stepped through the portrait hole.

Harry stepped out behind her. They walked slowly so the others could catch up, considering how fast they dashed out of the common room. "Pretty good. I had another dream about flaming ducks. This time it was quacking to a squirrel that had a chainsaw for a tail." Gemna giggled. "Yeah," Harry said after a chuckle, "it was pretty funny." A few minutes later the others caught up with them and they sat down in the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry and Gemna sat together, as well as Ron and Hermione. Michelle, Courtney and the other girls had no recollection of the previous night. Dean and Seamus were constantly whispering jokes to each other about their night. As Professor Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement about how he appreciated the respect he observed for the new teacher and exchange student, Neville rapped his arm around Ginny and she kissed his cheek.


	12. Out Of Body Experience

            By Tuesday, Michelle and Colin had become a couple, as well as Courtney and Seamus. Emilia, Maria and Dean were feeling very left out. Every time they'd go down stairs they'd see two of their friends snogging in a dark corner. "I wish I had a guy," Maria sighed to Emilia as they slumped up the stairs to their dorm. They dropped their bags on their beds and finished the remainder of their Astrology and Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. 

"Gemna's so lucky," Emilia said as she and Maria put their books away. "She never has any trouble with this stuff. She's so…perfect. No wonder Harry likes her so much." Maria gave Emilia a deadly glare. "Oh, sorry, Maria. I didn't mean it like that."

Maria relaxed her face. "It's okay. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I still dream of when I got a chance to hold his boxers." They both laughed. "I just wish there was someone for me. I'd do anything to have a boyfriend."

Just after she said this, Gemna walked into the room. "Hey girls. What's up?"

"Not much," Emilia answered. "So what are we doing tonight? I still can't remember what I've been doing the last few nights. But for some reason, I have the feeling it was a good thing."

Gemna smirked. "Sorry. Tonight I have no plans for us. I promised Harry I'd help him with his levitation. He has the capability; he's just completely off. We're also going to take advantage of the occasion to check out the Room of Requirement."

Maria giggled. "You sure you aren't just going there to…"

"Shut up!" Gemna laughed and shoved Maria. Emilia laughed with them as she continued justifying her plans. "We're not doing anything like that. When I went to teach the boys to levitate last week, he was awful. Could barely even get off his bed. So I promised that on Tuesday I'd give him some private instruction." She looked at Maria's face for a second. "You're sick, you know that?" They all laughed again. "Tomorrow, however," she continued, "I do have something planned. I think it's something you'll enjoy very much. But it will take a while, so we need to start right after dinner. I got to go meet Harry now. Catch you girls later!"

"What is…" Maria started to ask. But before she could even finish her second word, Gemna walked out. "Um, okay…. So what should we do now?"

"Let's work on that levitation. I want to find out what happens if I think of my version of a happy place. Hey, when have you ever seen a _frowning_ skull?" Maria knew Emilia was joking, but she gave her a rather disturbed look before changing into her dress and lying down.

"Ah!" Harry fell to the floor with a loud thud. "Well, hello to you, too"

Gemna had seen Harry at the bottom of the stone stairs and jumped on him from behind. She was in a fit of giggles. "Sorry. But it was so easy! I would think a guy like you would be a bit more alert." She helped him up and brushed off her dress.

They started walking towards the painting. "Well, I got here a bit early. I guess it was a little too early, considering I was beginning to fall asleep." He smiled.

As they walked past the painting the final time, a door appeared. "Interesting," Gemna said. "Is it safe to go in?"

"Should be," he answered. Harry opened the door for his girlfriend and closed it behind him. The room was enormous and full of dozens of luxurious queen-sized beds. There was a small bookcase with levitation books and around the room were posters of things to inspire relaxed minds and remind a levitator of key levitation points. As they stepped further in, Gemna noticed a cabinet full of potions and pills for things such as concentration enhancement, anti-body loss, and essence solidifiers. "What's this?" Harry asked as he found a hidden nook with a gold plate reading _O.B.E._

"O.B.E.?" Gemna asked as she walked over. "That's a special thing incredibly few people can do; or at least do right. It stands for Out of Body Experience. I don't mean to brag, but I'm one of the few who can do it. Care to see a demonstration?" Harry nodded, still rather confused about what it truly was. Gemna lied down on one of the many beds, but not like she had for levitation. She looked like she was going to fall asleep. She closed her eyes and for a few minutes, nothing happened. Harry walked over to see if she was okay, but just as she did, a silvery thing, much resembling an enormous ribbon, began to rise into the air from Gemna's chest. In about a minute or two, it had taken the form of what her body would have looked like without clothes, but had no details. No face, no bodily features. Pretty much like a three-dimensional outline. He was a bit disappointed at the lack of detail, yet incredibly fascinated, especially when it began to walk towards him. The silver shape of Gemna drew closer to the stunned boy and stopped. He stared at where her eyes should have been. The figure suddenly kissed his cheek and whisked quickly back into Gemna's chest, who sat up smiling a moment later. "_That's_ O.B.E. Allowing your essence to leave your body and allowing it to go and do anything and anywhere you wish it."

Harry blinked a few times in amazement. He put his hand on his cheek where he was kissed. He knew Gemna could do a lot of weird-yet-cool things, but next to her Indegica, that was probably the coolest. "Do you think I'd ever be able to do that?"

Gemna and Harry sat on one of the beds. "I don't know. Like I said, very few people can do it. And of those who can, many die. If your essence doesn't return to you in a certain amount of time, your body becomes a completely lifeless corps. But if you can, there's a potion I found in a cabinet at the other end of the room that can solidify your essence once it's out of your body. Basically, it makes it seem like it's your actually body and adds all the color and detail. Of course, there's the lack of clothing issue, but as long as there are clothes near by that the essence can put on, it's not a problem. The good thing about it is, no injuries can happen to it. So if there's something really risky you want to do, like jump off a building, you can do it. However, essences can be captured. They also can't hold any matter that isn't cloth. So it's not like they can stab someone, which is a good thing most of the time."

"Wow, now I really wish I could do that. Not to stab someone though," he laughed.

She laughed, too. "Well, you might actually be able to. You have many gifts already. And you have a very strong essence. I can sense it. I became pretty good friends with the Divination teacher when she saw me reading auras before the school year started. Yours is very powerful. Having more talents is one of the things that add power. Like being a parselmouth."

It had completely slipped Harry's memory of when he first found this out about her. "I was a bit freaked out when I first found out I had it. But it has come in pretty useful. Snakes are pretty cool, too," he chuckled.

Just then, Gemna raised her hand and waved it down in a squiggly line. "Serpensortia!" Gemna said as she twisted her palm out to catch a snake falling from nowhere. "Hello there. Sorry to take you out of your home. This is Harry and I'm Gemna. What's your name?"

Astonishment arose over him again. 'Did my girlfriend just summon a snake out of the air and introduce us to it?'

The snake stood up on its belly and looked at the two students; one shocked and one smiling and awaiting a response. "They call me Ssssarrett," he hissed. "You're a human, right? Not many of your kind around my home."

"And," Harry finally spoke up, "where would that be?"

"A forest in Ssssouth America. The humanssss who live there have a name for it, but we call it Lorna. It'ssss beautiful. Sssso, why have you ssssumoned me here?"

"We were interested in talking to a snake. I'm sure you know not many humans can. We're magic. But not a lot of magic people can't either."

Sarrett looked over at Harry again. "Interessssting," he hissed. "Do you magic humanssss only live here or are there any of your kind near me? It'd be nisssse to talk to a nisssse human for a change. The only onessss that ever come near my friendssss and me are the onessss who live there or try to catch ussss. Your kind sssseemssss very polite. Just because we sssslither doessssn't mean we're not friendly."

"You've certainly shown us that, Sarrett. It was wonderful meeting you."

"And you assss well, Gemna and Harry Potter." Sarrett hissed what looked like a snake's smile.

"Oh, don't tell me you've heard of me, too. I thought you said there were no magic people where you live." Gemna laughed a little and let the snake slither into his hand.

He stood on his stomach again and said, "Well, none that I know perssssonally. Esssspecially none that I can talk to. That, and I'm friendssss with Hedwig. She's flown over for sssseveral visitssss over the last few yearssss. You lead a very interessssting life. Sssso doessss she. We enjoy disssscussssing ssssuch things over a buffet of rodentssss. She sayssss she doesn't get why you never eat them. They are rather deliscioussss."

"Um, we just don't care for mice very much," Gemna said. "Well, we don't want to keep you away from home to long. All send you back."

"Thank you. Ssssend my regardssss to Hedwig assss well. Again, it wassss wonderful meeting you, Gemna and Harry."

"And you." Gemna raised her finger and pointed it at Sarrett. "Serpensortiturnium!" The snake vanished out of Harry's palm.

"Now _that_ was amazing. You're so perfect, Gemna." Harry pushed a lock of hair behind her ear to see her face more clearly.

"I'm not as perfect as you think."

"But you are. Never think you're not good enough, because the truth is, you're even better." Before Gemna could answer this, Harry leaned towards her and kissed her. Their arms gradually rapped around each other as they both closed their eyes. The longer Harry and Gemna kissed, the more passionate it became. Their tongues danced wildly with the other's, contradicting opposing movements. Gemna seemed to know just how to drive him nuts. She started to nibble on his lower lip, causing his eyes to open momentarily in surprise. That was something he hadn't experienced before, yet was really enjoying. As she returned her attention to the rest of his mouth, Harry moved to try the same thing on her. Though Gemna definitely wasn't as surprised as he had been, she did seem to really enjoy it. Harry's hands began to slide down the inside back of Gemna's dress again. She withdrew from the kiss slowly, but quick enough to give Harry the hint to stop.

She smiled at him so he'd know she wasn't angry. "It's not you, Harry. We're just not ready for anything like that. The time isn't right. We better get started with your levitation lessons. Take off your socks, shoes, watch, and glasses. I'm going to go see if this room has proper attire for levitating. Those clothes are much too prohibitive." Harry gave Gemna an odd look as she got up to search for a hidden closet. As he took off his last sock, Gemna returned with a folded piece of black cloth. "Put this on. There's a changing room down at the other end. It's kind of small, though. You can change out here if you want. I won't look."

Harry actually wouldn't have minded very much if she did, though. He agreed to change where he was, so Gemna lied down on an opposite bed and rested for a few moments. As Harry began to undress, the thought of being naked in the same room as her took over his mind. He barely noticed that he'd been standing there naked and staring into space until he tripped over one of his shoes.

Gemna didn't get up, but responded to the noise. "You okay, Harry? I didn't get you a _possessed_ robe, did I?"

He chuckled as he got to his feet and unfolded the black fabric. "Nah, I just tripped over my stupid shoes. Give me a second. I'm almost done."

"And they say girls take forever to get dressed," Gemna laughed as she shifted her head slightly and closed her eyes again.

A few moments later, Harry walked over to Gemna, who had fallen asleep already, and kissed her cheek. "Ready." She sat up and let Harry lie in the bed where she had been.

"Okay," she began. "Relax and clear your mind…."

            "I can't believe I got it!" Harry said as he sat up, excited. "I actually levitated! Wicked!"

            "You did great," Gemna said, handing him his glasses. "You got about five feet off the bed. I haven't seen anyone do that."

            "Well, you did say I had a powerful essence," he said, smiling. Harry put his glasses back on and attempted to fix his naturally messy hair.

            "That I did." Gemna looked at a moon-shaped clock on the wall. "Oh, it's so late! After 1:00am already?"

            "Harry looked at the clock and regretted seeing she was right. "Shit, we have class in eight hours. The others are probably wondering where…what are you doing?"

            Gemna had taken off her shoes and walked in front of a mirror. "If we leave now, we'll get caught. We'll just have to stay here and pick up our books during breakfast. Blekenyo tesesleep!" Her dress transformed into a blue silk and lace nightgown, with a single rose in the center of the neck. "Harry, can you turn around for a moment, please?" About a minute later, she okayed him to turn back around and put her folded lingerie in the drawer of a nightstand. Harry seemed a little taken back. "What? I don't like sleeping in my underwear. Would you like me to transform your outfit into your nightclothes, too?" Reflexively, he nodded. "Okay, you got to stand up though." Harry got up from the bed, just realizing what his nightclothes were. "Blekenyo tesesleep!" Gemna shouted as she repeated the same hand movements she always did for such spells.

            Harry was standing there in his boxers. He quickly pulled a blanket around himself. "Sorry! I forgot I don't…."

            Gemna giggled. "No need to explain. At least they're not blue and green. Orange and red are much nicer together on you."

            He couldn't help but laugh with her. "You really think so? This blanket totally clashes with it, though." They laughed again.

            "I love your sense of humor," Gemna smiled as she got under the covers and laid her head on the pillow.

            He didn't say anything. He just smiled. The candlelights dimmed by themselves and Harry watched Gemna drift off to sleep. She looked gorgeous. And the only thing that was separating him from her were thin layers of fabric. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted anything. For what seemed like hours, he just laid there and watched her, dreaming of pretty much everything that could happen between them. After about the twentieth daydream, Harry's eyes slowly closed and he fell asleep.

            "Harry! Wake up! What the bloody Hell are you doing?" Harry rolled over and saw Ron whispering what normally would have been a yell through his teeth. The candles weren't on, but it was light in the room. Harry sat up and saw Hermione drawing back curtains to let in the sunlight. He looked to his right and saw Gemna was still asleep. "I said, what are you doing in your boxers in a bed with Gemna?"

            Harry took a moment to process the whole situation. "Until now, sleeping. What are you doing here?"

            "We were up all night waiting for you to come back so we could find out how the levitation went. This morning Maria and Emilia told us that we could find you here. Looks like you two had a good time." Ron snickered.

            "Nothing happened! I mean, something happened, but it wasn't what you're thinking! We just stayed here so we wouldn't get caught."

            "Caught having sex?" Hermione questioned quietly as she approached. "I can't believe you'd take advantage of Gemna like this!"

            "But I didn't! We agreed that if we left to go back to the dorms, we'd get caught. So she transfigured our clothes into nightclothes so we could sleep here."

            "Then explain why your clothes are folded up on that bed!" Ron hissed, pointing.

            "I changed into a robe she found in a closet somewhere so I could do the levitation thing. She said clothes like that are too prohibitive."

            "Yeah right."

            "It's true, Ron. All of us changed into dresses before we levitated. Flowing outfits work best. I'm assuming she didn't ask the same of you," Hermione said.

            "So shouldn't one of us wake Gemna?" Harry asked.

All of a sudden, a flash of silver zipped into Gemna's chest and she sat up. "Good morning. These are some nice beds. I feel totally relaxed."

"What was that flash of…" Ron began to ask.

"Ron and I will go in the changing room you mentioned so you can get dressed," Harry said, grabbing his clothes, Ron's arm, and his turn to speak. They walked towards the door on the other end, Ron still trying, yet failing, to get his question out.

As the door closed, Gemna got up and took her lingerie out of the nightstand. "So what was that flash of light we saw?" Hermione asked.

"Flash of light? You and Ron must need more sleep. There was no flash of light." Gemna put her clothes on and transfigured her nightgown to a dress; different from the one she was wearing when she first arrived in the room. She knocked on the door. "Harry, you can come out now. I'm done getting dressed."

The two of them stepped out of the room, and Harry went to put on his shoes. As he passed Gemna, he whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I didn't tell Ron about the light. I told him he needs glasses." He smiled, kissed her cheek, and walked with Ron back to the other end of the room. When he was done, Hermione handed them their book bags and they headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Wednesday night came and the seven girls were sitting in a circle around the 6th year girls' dorm room. A black and gold cloud above Essence Of Self had just begun to swirl around like a whirlwind, transforming to green and cream. It returned to a cloud and drifted towards the zombie-like Maria. "Maria Maxwell," it hissed at her. "Let's see, let's see. Who do we need? Ah, yes, a 6th year boy again. A Gryffindor. A…Dean Thomas." The cloud had just drifted to her face. "Maria Maxwell, Dean Thomas." The moment the phenomenon touched her lips, it dived down her throat, leaving the room in a brief darkness. Her body began to glow the colors of the cloud as they swirled around within her. All the while, everyone remained still, as though nothing was happening at all. A blood-curdling shriek and the cloud dashed back out and over the book. "Very good girls. Step one has been completed. Now do your job and do it well or you will suffer even more." The cloud was sucked back into the book and everyone returned to normal.

"That was quite a ghost story, wasn't it?" Gemna smirked. "You should've seen your face, Maria."

"Well, me and Maria are going to go for a walk. It's too stuffy in this room," Emilia said as her and Maria put on slippers and left.

They approached the boys' dorm and silently stepped inside. Emilia stayed in the corner as Maria approached the side of Dean's bed. She took out her wand and placed it at his forehead, tracing down to the center of his heart. After a few mutters, there was a small zap of green and cream light. She kissed his sleeping lips and her and Emilia walked out. "You know the password to Slytherin now, right?"

Thursday morning, Maria and Dean walked hand in hand down the courtyard as Malfoy and Emilia whispered and giggled with each other just outside the library.


	13. Levitation 101

Time passed rapidly for everyone, bringing them to the first levitation class in a mere blink. The selected boys were changing into long red and gold dress-like outfits while the girls changed into black and red ones. Hermione, Ginny, and Gemna had made them the day before with the help of a little Indegica. They all met in the common room and headed to the Room of Requirement. Harry summoned the door and everyone filed in.

There were a few noises of surprise at the sight of so many beds and mysterious objects, but Gemna quickly ushered everyone to some beanbag couches and chairs in a little nook she didn't recall being there upon her previous visit. "Quiet down everyone! People will start arriving in about half an hour and I need to give you your instructions. Now, this room is obviously split into two halves. The side with the blue beds is for the boys and the side with the red beds is for the girls. As the students come in tonight, you will find out their year, house, and, if you must ask, their gender," she giggled.

"Colin, Seamus and Nick, you will be working with the sixth year boys. Josh, John and Jared, you're with the fifth year boys. Shania, Courtney and Michelle will be with the sixth year girls. Last but not least, Ginny, Emilia and Maria will work with the fifth year girls. I don't really have a preference for who works with what house, so you will figure that out amongst yourselves. Oh, Ron, Hermione and Harry, the four of us are monitoring everything. You will still stick to the side of the room with the proper gender, though. Not that I don't trust you, but if I catch anybody looking up someone's gown, there will be hell to pay." Josh and John gave one of those fake angel looks as Gemna and the other girls glared at their opposites.

"Anyway, today we will be teaching simple meditation. Hermione and I have it planned out and will instruct everyone from that platform in the center of the room," she pointed. "Just follow our leads. You'll catch on fast." Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Okay, looks like the first people are early. You all know what to do." Everyone nodded and stood up, heading to the door in two neat lines. Gemna took a deep breath and opened the door.

It was Cho and her clique of five: Alanna, Andrea, Marisa, Evalyn, and Cynthia. The six students deposited a Sickle each in a velvet bag hanging on the wall by the door. Shania, Courtney and Michelle ushered them to the changing room and then to beds. The next students to arrive were Dean and Neville, who had already paid and been advised to come in long gown-like outfits. They walked with Colin, Seamus and Nick showed them to the blue beds before returning to their positions by the door. Next were Lavender, Parvati, Amy, and Kirsten.

By eight o'clock, there were about fifty students there of various houses (all but Slytherin). The fourteen assistants split into groups and Gemna and Hermione took the stage. "Welcome, everyone, to Levitation 101. Before you can learn to levitate, you must learn meditate," Gemna giggled. "So today's class will be on relaxing the mind. Everyone sit cross-legged on your bed and drape your arms over your knees." Hermione sat down on the floor and demonstrated. "Be sure to keep your spine as straight as you can. Now, take a slow, deep breath for about four counts. Assistants, please count off for your students." The helpers began to count out loud together. "Now out for four counts." They counted again and repeated this for about five minutes.

"Good, good. Now you must all learn to find your 'happy place.'" A few people laughed. "I'm serious. Mentally, you need to be in a place of comfort to levitate. Usually such things as fields of flowers or star-filled skies work for beginners. Think of a place that makes you happy. Now, assistants, look for a pink glow around girls and a yellow glow around boys. If their minds are truly at peace, you should be able to see it just fine." A flick of her wrist and the lights were out. Everyone could see Hermione's vibrant pink glow in the center of the room. They all began to visualize.

It took a lot longer than the breathing exercise, but by eight-thirty, there were twenty-five pink glows on one side of the room, and twenty-five yellow glows on the other. Gemna flicked her wrist again and the lights came back on, but dimly. "Now slowly raise your arms out to your sides. Yes, just like that. Open your eyes just a little bit and watch Hermione's movements."

They all followed the instructions like zombies. Hermione let her arms flow in and out of a cross. She then moved them up and down, like at clawing cat, but slower and more graceful. She repeated this over and over. "Everyone close your eyes again and do what you just saw. This exercise will help combine your aura with your whims, enabling better control upon levitation. This is the final step in tonight's lesson."

At about nine o'clock, everyone changed to their normal clothes and left, feeling very refreshed. Once they were all gone (with the exception of Dean and Neville) and the fifth year boys returned to their dorms, Ginny grabbed the coin bag and poured it out in the center of the stage where they all sat down to count it. "50 Sickles!" Ginny shouted.

"1450 Knuts!" yelled Dean. "We're going to have quite a time on that Hogsmead trip next month."

"I'll divide this up so we each can keep track of our own share," Gemna said. "We each get 111 Knuts. We'll have 7 left, and that will go back in the bag," She said as she did so. "Next time that will be split up with everything else. So, shall we go back to the dorms?" The couples all looked at each other, with the exception of Emilia, Shania and Michelle whose other halves weren't present.

"Um, I think I feel like going for a walk," Ginny said as her and Neville left the room.

"I could use some air, too," Dean said as he took Maria's hand and left.

"I'd like to go take a look at the stars……...for astronomy class," Hermione added as she pulled Ron towards the exit.

Seamus and Courtney took off shortly afterwards. Emilia, Shania, and Michelle split up just outside the door, obviously to find their boyfriends, leaving Harry and Gemna alone. 

No sooner had the door slammed shut behind them, then Harry and Gemna locked lips. She'd nearly dived at him and was now hovering over his Quidditch-muscled body, savoring every inch of his mouth. They finally stopped to gaze into each other's eyes. Harry lifted a hand to stroke her silky, white cheek. "You're so beautiful," he whispered.

"You're not too bad yourself, love," Gemna said as she slid a hand under his robes and up and down his chest. "Something about tonight just seems _too perfect, doesn't it?"_

"Yeah, kind of odd, actually." He sat up on one hand, the other holding her body against his.

They kissed again, but not nearly as passionate. Harry could feel his heart start to race. Something was wrong. He could feel it, among other things. "Gemna, something isn't right. I just have this feeling like………"

"Something bad is going on and we got to do something?" she interrupted.

"Um, yeah," he agreed as Gemna stood up. He did so, as well. "You know I'd love to snog with you right now…..…."

"But we got to go figure out what's going on." They smiled at each other and took hands, heading towards the door. "Don't worry, Harry, I understand. I've been getting the same feeling since the breathing exercises. Do you have that map?"

Harry nodded and pulled the parchment out of his robes. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said and put his wand away. The dots appeared and the two of them stopped to study it. Hermione and Ron's dots were practically combined outside by the Quidditch field. Emilia and Draco were out in a dark, rarely used hallway. Michelle and Colin were in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, Courtney and Seamus were in a storage closet, Ginny and Neville were in the adjacent one, Shania and Erik were in the library, and Maria and Dean were also morphed into one dot in the boys' dorm. "It seems all of our friends are rather busy tonight," Harry chuckled.

Gemna laughed, too. "I don't see how that's a bad thing, at least for nine months." They both laughed again. "There must be something we're overlooking. Where's Professor Courtlynn?"

They looked all over the map. "There she is," Harry pointed. Professor Courtlynn's dot was in Dumbledore's office. But Dumbledore wasn't there. He was with Hagrid in his hut just outside the forest. "What's she doing there?" The dot was wandering around to various parts of the room. "Think we should go check on her or tell Dumbledore or something?"

"Let's go to his office. If we run into her, we'll say we came to see the Headmaster," Gemna said, rolling up the map.

"Good idea." The two of them started to walk towards the office. "Wait!" Harry grabbed his girlfriend's hand. "What is anyone going to say when they see us in………this?" He stepped back and spread his arms out.

"Good point. Akemshift!" Harry's outfit turned to normal Hogwarts robes. With another incantation, hers did as well. "They should stay like this for about two hours. I hope that's enough time." Off they went again.

By the time they reached the corridor perpendicular to the one that led to Dumbledore's office, Professor Courtlynn had returned to her classroom. "Damn, we missed her!" Gemna muttered. "At least Professor Dumbledore's not back yet. We can see if she left anything behind to help us."

"One problem," Harry said. "We don't know the password. That wall over there turns into a staircase leading to the office, but you need a password for it." They continued walking until they stood directly in front of where it should have been.

"Harry, do you think I'm dumb?" Gemna smirked.

"What? Of course not! I was just saying………" Harry tried to justify.

She giggled. "I know, I'm just teasing you. Anyway, I know he has a password. And I know the password."

"But how do you……..."

"I have my ways. Now, do we want to get in or not?"

Though he was a bit confused, Harry slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, we do. Go ahead, open the stairs."

Gemna smiled at him and turned toward the wall. "Gwefardeme."

The wall made a small rumbling noise and within a matter of seconds, they were walking up the stairs. "Gwefardeme?" Harry questioned as they walked through the doors.

"It means 'profit through play'. It's a scarcely known ancient Romanian phrase to mean that having fun can bring you many benefits. I suggested it to him the day before you all arrived." She and Harry split up to comb the room for clues.

"Cool. You're so wise, Gem. Hey, look at this." Harry picked up a scarlet book as Gemna walked over to him.

She took the book from his hands and flipped through the pages. "This looks just like the book in that picture. Except this one looks roughed up a bit. I'd say she was definitely doing something with it. Hey, this one has some more names in it."

He read silently over her shoulder. "You're right. Taylor Wolve, Danielle Rothman, Tiarra VanWayett, Mikayla Hiller, Jared Gradenn, Virginia Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Courtney Milley, Seamus Finnegan, and Emilia Mickelle. Gemna, these are all people we know. All of these people are in the levitation thing, with the exception of Malfoy. Do you think there's a connection?"

She shut the book and returned it to the chair it was on originally. "Probably not. I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Why don't you check the map and see where the Headmaster is? We don't want to get caught here."

Harry unrolled the map again. "It's okay, he's……...he's in Courtlynn's class? What's he doing there?"

"Let's not wait to find out. We should go back to our rooms. Look," she pointed on the map. "Everyone's in their dorms. We can expect quite an inquiry when we get there. Should we tell them?"

"We better not," he sighed. "They'll think we're jumping to conclusions." Gemna nodded in agreement.

They crept out of the office and back to Gryffindor, bidding each other goodnight with a ten-minute snog in front of the stairs. Of course, the guy's all shot him suspicious looks when Harry walked in. "Have fun?" Seamus said, who was leaning back in his bed, looking very pleased.

"Nothing happened. All we did was talk and maybe kiss for a bit. Enjoy the storage closet?" Harry shot back.

"Storage closet?" Ron and Dean laughed together.

"How'd you know?" Seamus asked, a bit concerned, but still very content.

Harry pulled the map out and stuck it under his mattress, very obviously. "Wonderful things this piece of parchment does," Harry chuckled. "Care to know where our other roommates were?"

Ron and Dean immediately stopped laughing and Neville buried his head deep within the pages of _Magical Melodies: A Guide To Making Music By Magic. "Please, enlighten me," Seamus smiled._

"I'm surprised you didn't hear Neville and Ginny in the closet next to yours," he answered.

"What?" Ron shouted at Neville. "You son of a……..."

"Shut up, you prat. You and Hermione didn't even show up as separate dots on the Quidditch field. Don't start laughing, Dean. You and Maria seemed to be 'joined at the hip' as well." Though he was a bit surprised at how willingly he revealed all this information, Harry was very content with his knowledge of other peoples' business at the moment.

"So what? At least we got some!" Dean chuckled as he flopped down on his bed.

"I refuse to dignify that with a response." Harry put on his nightclothes and slipped into bed.

Ron sighed. "To tell the truth, we were just snogging. A bit of second base, too, but not that much."

"I have a confession, too," Dean admitted. "We didn't get much past that either."

They all turned to Neville who had his face deep in his book, trying the best he could to hide laughter. "Okay, Neville, out with it already," Harry nudged. "Ron, you better stay where you are. We don't need blood shed right now."

Neville dropped the book and burst into laughter. "You want to know what really happened, Ron?" Ron took a deep breath and nodded slowly. Neville got up and turned off the light. "Lumos!" Neville aimed the beam of light at the wall and held up his hand. "We made shadow puppets!" He turned the light back on and walked back over to his bed in hysterical laughter.

They all stared blankly at him. "Neville," Ron said on the verge of cracking up, "I think I would have preferred to hear that you went to third." Everyone was in fits of laughter.

"That is," Dean gasped between laughs, "probably the dumbest thing I have ever heard of, Neville."

"It was in a Muggle book I found on the sidewalk one day. These kids were bored so they shined a candle on the wall and held up their hands in different shapes to make different things. Ginny thought it was cool," Neville justified.

"As long as you keep her happy………and a virgin until she's married," Ron added.

"Of course, I'm not _that dumb. Come on, guys. We have to get to bed. It's late." Everyone got into bed and fell asleep within minutes, all with very pleasant dreams._

As expected, Gemna was hounded with questions when she walked in the room. "What kept you out so long?" Emilia smirked.

"Please tell me you two didn't!" Courtney giggled nervously.

"I know you two at least snogged for a good hour!" Ginny barked.

Maria and Hermione were sitting 'innocently' on the floor in the back of the room, pretending not to notice anyone other than each other and their nails. Gemna shook her head. "We did kiss, but not for an hour, Ginny, just briefly. To tell the truth, we just talked about the levitation class for a while…and went for a walk...past a few select couples…." Gemna shot gotcha-looks at all of them, one by one.

All at once they cried, "It wasn't what you think!" After a quick moment of silence, every single one of the girls was rolling on the floor in laughter. "I'd just like to check something here for a moment, and hopefully it will prove everyone's innocence," Maria giggled. "Who here is still a virgin?" Maria, Hermione, Emilia, Courtney, Shania, Michelle, and Ginny all raised their hands. Gemna was still laid back against a wall, giggling. 

Shania called to her, "Hey Gemna, raise your hand."

"I can't," she said seriously, shaking her head.

Michelle looked at her quizzically. "Why?"

"I'm not."


	14. With Me

*****Sorry I forgot to mention this before: TYSM to T for beta-ing all my chapters! ^_^ Don't worry, I promise I'll follow through with your lion request!*****

"Say what?" Emilia asked, shocked as the silent others.

            "I'm not a virgin," Gemna answered, not at all concerned with their reaction.

            "But you're only sixteen!" Courtney said.

            "How old were you when you lost it?" asked Maria.

            She smiled faintly. "I was thirteen."

            "Thirteen?!" Ginny, Michelle and Shania shouted together.

            "Why were you having sex so young?" Hermione asked, shaking her head in disapproval.

            "I don't really want to talk about it. We should all go to bed now." Gemna got up and changed into her nightclothes. The others followed after a moment of silence. Soon they were all fast asleep.

            "Good morning Princess." Harry kissed Gemna on the cheek as she sat down for breakfast.

            "Good morning Harry." She kissed him back. The other couples sat near them, hand in hand, with the exception of Emilia. She'd gone to sit with Draco and his friends. "I hope you're fully rid of those duck dreams?" Gemna giggled.

            He smiled. "Only thoughts of you, now. Pumpkin juice?" Harry poured the gold pitcher of juice into a goblet as she nodded in reply.

            Gemna took a sip. "Today's going to be a good day. I just feel it."

            Ginny and Maria smirked and shook their heads before continuing with their meals.

            "Miss Rodemlovt!" a young woman's voice called. They all turned their heads. "Miss Rodemlovt, could I speak to you for a moment, please?" It was Professor Courtlynn.

            Harry was a bit worried, but Gemna gave him a reassuring kiss that there was no way she could know of the previous night. "Of course Professor."

She and Professor Courtlynn walked just outside the doors of the Great Hall and to a corner where they were least likely to be overheard. "Thank you so much for the password, Gemna."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all, Jean. Just a quick glimpse in his eyes and Dumbledore followed my 'suggestion.'" They both gave a sneaky giggle. "Did you get what you needed?"

"Sure did. And of course, I do believe I owe you a little something in return." Professor Courtlynn pulled a black and gold pouch out from the neck of her robes. "One hundred Galleons from me and Brian. Will that cover it?"

Gemna nodded. "This should cover it quite nicely, thank you." She put the pouch in the neck of her own gown. "Now, about Wednesday……..."

The teacher nodded. "Yes, I believe the plans should satisfy your needs quite nicely. Unfortunately, they will not work for Wednesday. Dumbledore is requiring me to teach one month of basic shields. I think it's too much time, but we can't go against his orders."

"Don't worry, October will be fine. Let's make it……...October 31st. Does that work? All Hallows Eve should be a wonderful planetary alignment for this."

"October 14th then. You better go back to your breakfast. Don't want Harry, Ron or Hermione coming over here, do we?" They giggled again.

"No, we certainly don't. Thank you, I will see you on Wednesday." Gemna turned to leave.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like you and Draco to do the demonstration next class," Professor Courtlynn said softly.

Gemna stopped and slowly turned with a menacing smile. "Perfect." She walked back to the table with her friends and sat down. "Professor Courtlynn would like me to demonstrate some new shield spells on Wednesday."

Hermione smiled. "Wonderful. That'll give you another chance to show up the Slytherins. Oh, sorry Emilia."

Emilia had just returned to the table. "No hard feelings. Draco says he doesn't consider himself a Slytherin. He feels he was meant to be a Gryffindor."

Milk gushed from Ron and Dean's noses as they all burst into laughter. "S-sorry Emilia," Ginny laughed. "Just………Malfoy as a Gryffindor?" They all laughed again. Emilia couldn't help but giggle, too.

The weekend passed pretty quickly for everyone. A couple of visits to Hagrid, a meeting with Dumbledore to discuss Gemna being shown around Hogsmeade on November 10th, some Quidditch practice, and suddenly it was Monday. Before they knew it, it was time to shame the Slytherins in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The ten students sat down in the best seats available, reassured by Gemna that there would be quite a show if Malfoy was as stubborn as he looked. "What exactly is Professor Courtlynn having you do?" Courtney asked.

"You'll see. It's just a basic blocking spell, but………you'll see. It's actually rather beautiful for a spell used in fighting. It's called Rainbarrah Proteshawnah. It was….….."

"It was created by a nine year old girl in Tokyo, Japan when she encountered a small dragon in her living room with only her mother's wand," Hermione interrupted. "She didn't know what to do so she concentrated really hard and said what came to her mind, and the dragon was trapped in a rainbow shield, unable to escape until the Japanese Ministry Of Magic showed up to help in response to a nine year old using a wand."

Everyone stared blankly at her. "Hermione," Ron laughed, "I'd rather ask why you know all this stuff then how." She giggled to and they started kissing.

"Hey, hey you two," Dean chuckled. "Get a room. This a public place!"

They all laughed again, just as Professor Courtlynn walked in the room. "Good afternoon everyone. Please open your books to page 78 and read it carefully. Miss Rodemlovt and Mr. Malfoy, please come to my desk when you're done."

Everyone took out their books as Gemna approached the desk. "I already read it, Professor Courtlynn."

"Very good. We'll just be waiting on Draco then." The class rushed through the text as Malfoy hurried up to where Gemna stood patiently. "Okay, today we will begin a spell called Rainbarrah Proteshawnah. You should have just read about the history, uses, and procedure. Gemna and Draco will be demonstrating this spell today. Which one of you would like to be the attacker?"

Malfoy bit his lip nervously, trying to work up the nerve to volunteer. "I'll do it," Gemna said cheerfully.

The class was quite taken back by this. "Oh, lovely. But remember, no magic. Only a Muggle or animal attack will do," Professor Courtlynn smiled. "Please spread out and begin when ready."

Malfoy and Gemna spread out across the room, Emilia biting her nails and everyone else leaning forward anxiously. Gemna glared demonically at her opponent and whispered something no one heard. Malfoy stood still for a moment blankly before a scowl grew on his face. She ran at him, jumping in the air with a sharp kick, knocking him to the floor and giving everyone a good view of what was under her dress.

Professor Courtlynn giggled. "Come on Mr. Malfoy, you can do better than that. Try _using the spell."_

Gemna happily got up and returned to her former position. Malfoy stood up, blowing a kiss to Emilia, and took his stance as well. She ran at him again, dagger nails outstretched. This time, however, Malfoy was ready. He shot his wand out straight at her and yelled, "Sarniwob!" A burst of stars, hearts, and rainbow lights shot out at Gemna and she was trapped in a glossy rainbow bubble, resembling a futuristic zoo animal.

The class stood up and ran over to Gemna, lightly tapping their fingers on its walls as she sat in the center of it just giggling. "Very good Mr. Malfoy! Now, I hope you read how to free the trapped person, Mr. Potter. You will be the one to set her free." Everyone turned to Harry who was now desperately trying to think of the way to save his girlfriend. "Come on, Harry, I refuse to allow anyone else to get her out. This is your assignment."

Gemna smiled at Harry and looked directly into his eyes. He took a step back as Gemna stood up and the class backed away in caution. "Ets eref!" Harry pointed his wand down at the bubble as it was sucked back up into the wand and his girlfriend thanked him with a deep kiss in front of everyone.

Professor Courtlynn laughed. "Now, now you two, this isn't Love 101. Thank you Gemna, Harry, and Draco. Ten points to each of your houses and full marks." Whispers of gratitude spread throughout as they were dismissed early. As Gemna walked out with Harry's arm around her, she turned back to smile at Professor Courtlynn, who winked in return.

When they arrived back at Gryffindor later that evening, all the couples kissed and split to bed. They were too exhausted to snog or anything. Snape had given them quite a beating in class earlier. "Why would someone _want_ to make boxing gloves punch on their own?" Hermione moaned as she slumped into bed.

"Who knows," Maria whined. "I just want to feel my arms again."

Even the normally perky Gemna was rather tired. "That Potions teacher is completely mental. How could Dumbledore put up with him? How can _we_ put up with him?"

"We've been asking that for years," Courtney laughed in pain.

"Shut up, my head is killing me!" Emilia hissed at them.

They all moaned painfully as the lights went off and they immediately fell asleep.

The boys were just as tired. "I……...hate……...Snape……..." Ron breathed.

Neville had already passed out on his bed in the corner. Seamus and Dean were trying to work up the strength to untie their shoes. "If I could, I'd kill him," Harry mumbled loudly.

"You know you _can, Harry," Seamus sighed as he fell onto his pillow. "You're just not _allowed_."_

"It's a shame we can't bust him for anything more than being a jerk," Dean said. "Then we could be rid of him for good. Let's go to sleep. I'm dying."

They all winced as they lied down and fell asleep with the lights on. Luckily, Dobby had been cleaning nearby and turned them off. "Harry Potter should watch out for greater danger then Professor Snape," he whispered.

As the month progressed, it came time for the next levitation class. "Very good, Cho, you're making wonderful progress!" Hermione said as Cho lifted a few inches off her bed. "Okay, now back down……...very good!"

"That's all for tonight, everyone! Don't worry, those of you who didn't get it today will get it next time," Gemna reassured the many disappointed fifth years. In about fifteen minutes, everyone was gone and they started to divide the money. 

"We're gonna be rich by the time that Hogsmeade trip comes!" Ginny screamed.

"Maybe not rich," Hermione said, putting her share away, "but decently wealthy."

"Come on, Seamus, let's go see that thing at the place with the person from the time again……..." Courtney laughed as the two of them ran out.

"Hermione?" Ron said as he stood up. "Care to join me for some butterbeer and Bertie Bott's that the twins sent me?"

"I'd love to," she replied as the two of them walked out together.

Dean went to get up with Maria when Harry grabbed his arm. "Hold on a second, Dean. I have a feeling you may not want to go back to your dorm for a bit." Everyone laughed as they got up and took off in the opposite direction. "Can someone please explain to me why every levitation class turns into a snog session?"

Ginny giggled. "Not saying anything………Care to join me for a walk by the lake, Neville?"

"I'd love to, Gin." They walked out, arm in arm.

It wasn't long until Harry and Gemna were yet again alone. Harry scooped her up in his arms and laid her down on one of the beds, kissing her blood red lips passionately. "What are you feeling tonight my love?"

She giggled seductively. "I'm feeling………mischievous." Her gripped tightened on Harry's shoulders and in moments he was pinned under her.

He chuckled. "I very much wish I could read minds right now."

Gemna kept her seductive smile and looked into his eyes for a moment before returning her lips to his. Their tongues wrapped together and they let their hands explore. They'd been trying to hold back for the last two weeks, but now they couldn't help but release all passion. Harry's hands slid up Gemna's dress to her immense breasts, caressing them with love and longing. In return, she allowed her hands to wander under his robes to stroke the part of him she most deeply desired. "Oh Gemna, you have no idea what your touch does to me."

"I do now," Gemna giggled.

She began to slide her hand underneath Harry's boxers, watching him shiver at the cold and lick his lips. She ran her fingers lightly up and down him in a way such would have tickled if it were any other part of the body. Instead, it drove him insane. "You're killing me, Gem. Please……..." Harry begged.

Gemna smiled at these words.

She slid off of him and stood up. "Wait right there," she said in a hushed tone. She turned her back to him and with a twist of her hand, the lights were dimmed and the door was shut and locked. She turned back to face Harry and smiled. "And now for you….I think I'll use a little thing we threw together at R.U.M.A." Gemna raised her hands and began to move them in multiple rhythmic patterns Harry's eyes couldn't keep up with. "Tie the knot, quick and tight, heighten the senses and block the light. Struggle and fuss, no fight can untwine. Tonight, little boy, _you are __mine."_

Harry was mesmerized by her voice. On her final word, he began to feel weird. He could feel a tightening on his wrists and ankles, and his vision was completely gone. All he could see was black. "Gem? What's going on?"

"Don't you worry, Harry. I'll take care of you," she answered. He could hear her voice coming from all directions, making it difficult to pinpoint where she was. He couldn't move and he couldn't see, so it didn't make much of a difference. However, his other senses worked just fine. Harry could feel Gemna taking off his glasses and clothes. Things started to seem a little bit better.

The eerie silence of the room enabled him to hear everything she was doing….the sound of her shoes clicking together against a wall, the sound of her clothes hitting the floor, and the sound of the springs in the bed as she lay down next to him. "All that Quidditch and evil-fighting has done your body quite well," she complimented as she ran her fingers lightly across his well-muscled chest.

He chuckled. "Thank you. If I could see you, I'm sure you'd be even more magnificent. What exactly are you planning?"

Gemna moved back on top of him. Harry could feel her breasts pressing down on him, and he deeply enjoyed it. "You'll see, Harry. You'll see," she giggled.

She kissed him deeply, running her hands down his body. The rest of her shortly followed. He could feel it and it was killing him. If only he could see her. Or at least move. But he certainly wasn't complaining about this. Lower and lower he could feel her kissing, growing closer to his increasing erection.

Finally, what he'd been dreaming of since he'd met her happened. Her lips wrapped around him. Her tongue swirled vigorously in circles as his back arched in response. He pictured it in his mind. And everything he thought, happened moments later. If he imagined her moving over him nice and slow, she did it. If he pictured her sucking hard and moving fast, that happened, too. All the while, he heard her spell chanting over and over again in his head. 'Tie the knot, quick and tight, heighten the senses and block the light. Struggle and fuss, no fight can untwine. Tonight, little boy, you are mine….' Over and over her voice sang, driving him further and further towards a climax. One last swirl of her tongue sent him over the edge.

A moment later, Gemna sat up; licking her lips and Harry could see and move again. She crawled back up his body and into his arms and kissing yet again. It hadn't occurred to Harry what her lips would taste like after what she'd just done, but a kiss like Gemna's wasn't something he'd easily pass up for a slight flavor change. "Gemna, that was the most fantastic thing I've ever experienced. What'd you….How did you…."

She placed a finger over his lips. "Hush. Don't worry about how. Just know that as long as you're mine, you can expect many unique things. And that would be one of them. Now let's get dressed and go back to Gryffindor. I'd appreciate if you didn't reveal the specifics of what I did. Feel free to be subtle, though," she giggled. They dressed, checked the map, and headed back.

"Quack! Quack!" Hermione was jumping on her bed and quacking like a duck. Her hair was all messed up and she'd stripped herself of her robes. All the other girls were practically in tears from their laughing.

"G-Ginny!" Emilia called. "Y-you should n-never let your b-brothers send you guys that much b-butterbeer again!"

"Or at least don't let her drink it all!" Maria cried.

"I got to go talk to Ron," Ginny giggled, trying to keep a straight face.

"Ron, that was so cruel. And yet, so entertaining," Dean laughed.

Ginny stormed in after this. "Ronald Weasley!" They all turned to her as she stomped over to her frightened brother. "What the bloody hell were you thinking, getting Hermione all drunk like that? She's in our dorm, half naked, jumping on the bed, and quacking!"

"I didn't mean to, honest Gin!" Ron answered. "Things just………got carried away!"

"I'll carry you away! That is the sickest thing I've ever seen anybody do to the person they love most."

"I've seen sicker," Gemna smirked calmly as her and Harry walked into the room.

Ginny let go of her brother's neck and giggled. "Where have _you_ two been? And don't give me that crap about 'just briefly kissing.'"

Gemna shook her head. "None of your business, Hun. Come on, let your brother live through another night. I can cure Hermione. Let's go." She kissed Harry very passionately and headed back to her dorm, followed by Ginny shortly after who had been doing the same to Neville.

            When they were out of earshot, Ron closed the door. "Thank god you and Gemna came in or I may have been killed!" he laughed.

            "Though you shouldn't have done that to Hermione," Harry chuckled, changing for bed, "I admire your work. How _did_ you get her like that?"

            "It really was an accident," Ron laughed again. "The twins sent me Bertie Bott's and butterbeer. Nothing dangerous. I guess she just can't handle that combination too well."

            "Ron," Neville questioned, "Did _you_ have any?"

            They all stopped for a moment. "Um, actually, I didn't."

            "Let me see the stuff they gave you," Dean called as it was tossed to him. "Ron! This isn't butterbeer and Bertie Bott's! These say 'Loony Liquid' and 'Sugar Highs'! These must be new inventions of your brothers', because I have _never heard of these before."_

            "I swear," Ron said, packing everything up, "I am going to strangle those two! If they want to send gifts, they should at least clearly label them!" They all laughed. "So what did happen with you and Gemna?" he asked when he was done.

            "Well, um…." Harry's face glowed red.

            "Harry!" Dean called. "You didn't!"

            "Sadly no, but it was just as good. I got to say, that girl is the most fantastic creature I've ever seen."

            "Fess up Harry," Seamus said. "Tell us what happened!"

            Harry sighed. "I'm not giving you every detail of what happened, guys. If you really want to know, I'd say we're definitely on second, getting close to third."

            "Wicked," Dean congratulated. "I'd prolong things a little bit if I were you, though, Harry. Don't rush into sex or you may end up having to make her Mrs. Potter." They all laughed a bit.

            "Oh come on, I'm not that dumb. We're going to wait for that, but this is an amazing substitute. What she can do with just her hands is amazing," he chuckled. "Well, I'm about ready to turn in. Good night guys." They were soon all sleeping.

            Gemna crossed her hands in a few different ways and Hermione was back to normal. "What the bloody hell was I doing?" Hermione started to cry as the other girls rushed over to comfort her, Gemna bringing a blue satin robe for her to wear.

            "It's going to be okay, Hermione. Ron's brothers just sent something weird and Ron didn't know its effects. You two just have to be a bit more careful," Gemna said as she draped the robe over Hermione's shoulders.

            "Come on girl, let's get you in some night clothes," Maria said softly as she and Michelle went to the closet to find something comfortable.

            "Thank you so much for helping me, Gemna. You're a true friend. Anything you can do to subside the nausea and stomach ache?" Gemna lifted her hand and placed it lightly on Hermione's head. She whispered a few un-heard words. "Wow, Gemna, thank you! I feel great now!"

            "Hermione's right," Courtney said. "You're really a great person."

            Gemna simply smiled and got changed for bed. Soon, they, too, were fast asleep.

            "Ah, October," Maria whispered as she walked down the courtyard with Dean's arm wrapped around her. "Isn't it just beautiful?"

            "Not as beautiful as you, M," he answered, kissing her cheek.

            "It damn well is!" she laughed back. "Just look at those leaves, every one a different color. And look at all the birds leaving for the south. And it's even closer to Halloween. I know that's not meant to be a beautiful event, but it certainly is fun, isn't it?"

            "Yeah," Dean said as they sat down on a bench. "What are you going to be?"

"What do you mean?" Maria asked, confused.

"Gryffindor is having its own Halloween party this year in the common room. And Hermione told me, of course, that they put out a bunch of new books in the library on how to make your own costume. I think I'm going to be a lion. They seem like sweet little cats, but they're really deadly beasts with razor claws and teeth," he told her, clawing the air with his hand.

She giggled. "Well, if you are to be a lion, I suppose I shall be a lioness. You know it's the lioness that does all the work. Has the kids and watches them, hunts for food………lionesses are pretty cool."

"I think you'd make a beautiful lioness," he chuckled. They both looked across the landscape for a few minutes, just enjoying the company and warmth of each other's bodies. "You know, October really is pretty nice." Dean leaned over and kissed her sweetly before they stood up and continued their walk.

"So what do you think?" Emilia asked. "Please be honest."

"I think it was gorgeous," Draco reassured her. "Never would I have thought such amazing things could be written by someone so sexy."

"Draco, please! It's not that great a song and I don't have that great a body," she responded, turning the other way with arms crossed.

"It is, and you do." He walked around to where they could see each other again and sat her down in the chair behind her. "You need to stop with the self criticism. You have a lot of talent and beauty. You just need to recognize it."

"But what about my reputation?" she asked. "No one knows me for being sexy and talented or anything. I'm just kind of tough, hardcore, yet laid back. Like………lasagna," she laughed.

He laughed with her. "Who cares what other people think? As long as you're doing what you want and it's making you happy."

She smiled up at him. "You're right. I'm going to audition for the Halloween party and I'm going to sing this song."

"And thanks to your asking Professor McGonagall, I'm allowed to be there when you perform." A moment later, they were engaged in deep snogging.

"Okay, explain it one more time," Michelle said.

"You press the button, the light goes onto the film, and it saves the pattern," Colin laughed.

"But the pictures don't move! How do you get the people to stay still for so long?" she asked seriously.

Colin couldn't help but laugh. "I don't know. Ask Hermione. She could probably explain it better."

"Well, anyway," Michelle continued, "what did we decide for the Halloween party again?"

"We're going to be fish, remember?"

"Oh yeah," she giggled.

"Gin, how do you get your hair like this?" Neville asked as he ran his fingers through it.

"Like what?" she giggled. "What's so great about my obnoxious red hair?"

"It's not obnoxious. It's beautiful. How do you get it so silky? My grandmother once gave me a recipe for a shampoo that makes hair just as perfect as yours. Sadly, I lost it," he laughed.

"I just use the stuff Mum sends. You can borrow it if you want. I think your hair is nice though. It makes you look so sweet, even though you already are."

"You're sweeter. Hey, I think I picked a Halloween costume!"

"Oh, do tell," she giggled again.

"How about we be a prince and princess? I think the title fits you perfectly. Princess Ginny."

"That sounds wonderful. Mum's been teaching me how to sew for a few years and Gemna said she knows how. Maybe she can help me make the costumes."

"You're amazing, Gin." He kissed her softly on the lips and they continued their discussion on hair care products.

"Ron! No! Stop! Don't!" Hermione cried.

He refused to listen and continued. "Nope, not until you say it!"

"I……...refuse………to say that!" she screamed.

"Then I'll just have to continue," Ron smirked.

"Okay, okay! The Chudley Cannons are the best Quidditch team in the world! Now stop.……..tickling………me!" Hermione shoved Ron off of her, laughing hysterically. "Happy now?"

Ron stood up, laughing. "Yes, very true. I told you I could convince you!"

"That wasn't convincing, that was torturing," she laughed again.

"Well, anyway, they're the best team and that's final."

"Sure, you keep thinking that," she giggled. "Hey look, somebody wrote the word gullible on the ceiling……..."

"What?" Ron asked, looking up. "Where?"

"Gotcha!" Hermione pinned him to the floor and took her revenge.

"How about a nurse and doctor?" Courtney asked. He shook his head. "All right then, trolls?" Seamus disagreed again. "Oh come on! There has to be one idea you like for the party!"

"Sorry, I just can't think of anything I really want to be." She thought for a moment and whispered something in his ear. "However, _that's_ something I'd do," he laughed.

"Are you sure about this, Erik?" Shania asked.

"Trust me; you're perfect for this costume." Erik tied the back for her.

"I don't know, are you sure it isn't too………revealing?"

"You look beautiful. It's fine. How's my costume look?"

Shania looked him over. "It's not my first choice, but it definitely has a certain essence to it. Let's put them away now. I refuse to be seen like this on any day other than Halloween," she laughed.

"Harry, shouldn't we be rehearsing?" Gemna asked, pushing Harry off of her a little bit.

"Sorry love," he laughed, wiping off the lipstick that was all over his face now. "Guess I got a little carried away."

She giggled. "It's okay. We just need to get this done. The sign said auditions for acts at the Halloween party are next Saturday. That doesn't leave us much time. We have the levitation class, too, you know."

"Don't worry, I rescheduled that for the next week," he told her as he got back into place.

"Okay, good. Thank you. Now, let's take it from the top. Remember, left, left, left, turn. Not left, right, left, knock me over and snog," she laughed.

"Damn, that was the best part!" After they both stopped laughing, Gemna flicked her wrist and the music started to play once more.


	15. Making the Cut

*****Thanks everyone who helped me with this chapter! And if you need music for any of the songs in here, just IM me and I can send them to you.***        **

It seemed like hours had past until Lavender and Kirsten finally came out of Professor McGonagall's classroom. They were about the only ones in the hallway with a smile still on their face. Angelina Johnson stuck her head out the door a few minutes after the two girls had left. "Okay, we're ready for the next act." Gemna gave the nervous Emilia a hug and left with Harry into the transfiguration room.

Professor McGonagall, Richard Van Horn, Michael Sparks, Vanessa Dennly, and Megan Huntrell were sitting at a table in the front of the class with clipboards, while the rest of the room had been cleared for floor space. Angelina stood on the side with her clipboard and announced, "Harry Potter and Gemna Rodemlovt will be performing an original dance to _Figured You Out_ by Nickelback." She leaned against the wall and took out a quill as the couple approached the center of the floor.

Harry gave Gemna a quick kiss for good luck and took his starting pose. Gemna flicked her wrist and the music began.

_I like your pants around your feet   
I like the dirt that's on your knees   
And I like the way you still say please   
While you're looking up at me   
You're like my favorite damn disease   
  
And I love the places that we go   
And I love the people that you know   
And I love the way you can't say no   
Too many long lines in a row   
I love the powder on your nose   
  
Ooooh   
And now I know who you are   
It wasn't that hard   
Just to figure you out   
And now I know who you are   
It wasn't that hard   
Just to figure you out   
  
I like the freckles on your chest   
And I like the way you like me best   
And I like the way you're not impressed,   
While you put me to the test   
I like the wine stains on your dress   
  
And I love the way you pass the check   
And I love the good times that you wreck   
And I love your lack of self respect   
While you're passed out on the deck   
I love my hands around your neck   
  
And now I know who you are   
It wasn't that hard   
Just to figure you out   
And now I know who you are   
It wasn't that hard   
Just to figure you out   
  
I love your pants around your feet   
And I love the dirt that's on your knees   
And I like the way you still say please   
While you're looking up at me   
You're like my favorite damn disease   
  
And I hate the places that we go   
And I hate the people that you know   
And I hate the way you can't say no   
Too many long lines in a row   
I hate the powder on your nose   
  
And now I know who you are   
It wasn't that hard   
Just to figure you out   
And now I know who you are   
It wasn't that hard   
Just to figure you out _

They perfectly synchronized every step, either opposing each other or joining them. Turns, twists, spins, kicks, each at exactly the right time. In the middle of the second chorus, Gemna made some peculiar motions with her hands (mimicked by Harry so not to be as noticeable) and the lighting changed. It began to flash to the beat, Gemna and Harry glowing changing colors. The students in behind the table were wide-eyed and speechless as there was a blast of light and the song concluded.

Harry and Gemna returned to a normal standing position and took a simple bow and curtsy. Everyone, even Professor McGonagall, gave them a standing ovation. "Fantastic, Mr. Potter and Miss Rodemlovt! Absolutely wonderful! I think it's safe to say you two will be a hit at the party."

"You mean we made the cut?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Absolutely Harry!" Rich smiled. "Those skulls were a nice touch.

"I personally liked the whole lighting thing," Megan smiled. 

Vanessa and Michael both agreed that the song was a favorite and Angelina told them they'd probably have the best act there. "You should have seen some of the other acts. Somebody even tried juggling……..that is _so_ American." They all laughed.

"America's pretty nice actually. They got quite a few issues, but it's pretty cool there," Gemna told them as she headed to the door.

"Would _you_ ever live there?" Rich asked.

"I'd rather live with trolls," she giggled. As her and Harry were walking back to Gryffindor, Angelina ushered Emilia in with Draco calming her down.

______________

"Come on, Gin! I want to see if they got it!" Hermione yelled, dragging Ginny down the stairs.

"Hermione, it will still be there in two minutes. Can't I just…………."

"No! I gotta see it!" They finally reached the bottom of the stair case and ran to the crowd of people at the wall. They squeezed through everyone and scanned the paper. "Come on, come on…………..they did it!"

Hermione and Ginny escaped the pack of people and were jumping excitedly up and down just as the rest of the gang approached. "What's going on?" Harry asked them.

Ginny hugged Gemna happily. "They posted the list for the party acts, and you and Emilia made the cut!"

"We did?" Emilia said shocked, eyes growing wide. "Sweet! I gotta go find Draco!" Emilia, Maria and Dean ran out the portrait opening together.

"You know what this means though, right?" Gemna said looking at her boyfriend. "We're going to have to practice every night and make costumes and do homework and do the levitation classes."

Harry kissed Gemna's soft cheek. "Don't worry, Love. We'll get it all done. Hermione, do you think you can do a small favor for us?"

"Of course, Harry. What do you need?" she smiled.

"Do you think you can make up a schedule for us and Emilia, so we can be sure to fit everything in?" Harry asked politely.

She took a quill out of her pocket. "Sure! I'll start on it right now. Ron and Courtney, can you guys come with me? Oh, Seamus, you can come, too." They smiled and ran off to the boys' dorm. Michelle and Colin took advantage of that time to sneak off to a dark corner.

"Shania, what's wrong?" Gemna said, noticing her face full of tears. She wrapped her arm around her and, with Harry, accompanied her to a chair.

"N-nothing's wrong. D-don't worry about it," she sobbed.

"Honey, I know a sad face when I see one," Gemna smiled as she wiped away the tears. "Tell me what's going on."

After a few moments of silence, she answered, "Erik and I broke up."

Gemna's eye's lit up. "Really? That's all? Relax girl, everything's going to be okay. I already know the perfect guy for you."

"R-really? Y-you do? Who?" She asked anxiously.

"You'll see, you'll see. Just get all the girls together in our room tonight and I'll make sure you get a guy."

Harry looked quizzically at his girlfriend, but shook it away quickly. "Aw, thanks Gemna. I don't know what I'd do without you," Shania said, hugging her. "Well, I think I'm going to go work on the potions homework we got yesterday. I need every minute I can get on it. See you tonight!"

After Shania had gone, Gemna turned to Harry. "I think we should practice that dance. Just once today at least. Then we need to practice the new spell from professor Courtlynn. I think I understand it pretty well, but I don't want to risk one of us turning into a pile of dust instead of a floating cloud," she giggled. The two of them headed up to the dorm.  
______________

Hermione met them at the doorway with Ron, Seamus and Courtney laughing together by the window. "All done," she said, handing them a piece of parchment. "I'm going to leave this one on Emilia's bed, and then we got to make our costumes. I heard they're giving out awards for the best ones."

Harry put the schedule in his pocket. "Thanks. Gem and I are going to practice a little bit now, and we'll do the costumes after. We also need to practice that Clethroin Spell for Monday. Besides, the party's a week from Thursday. We still have time to get a costume together. You don't need to rush."

"We know," Ron smirked, taking Hermione's hand. "We just need to………work on our skills."

"Skills? What sk-" but before Harry could finish his question, Ron and Hermione were gone.

They looked over at the couple across the room that had finally stopped laughing. "Yeah," Courtney said, "I think we're gonna leave, too. Maybe go watch Hufflepuff practice Quidditch or something. Catch you later." She kissed Gemna's cheek and walked with Seamus out of the building.

Harry closed the door and adjusted the lighting as Gemna did a little furniture rearranging. "I have an idea," she said as he turned around. "I know you're going to think this is crazy and a bit kinky, but I think you should lose the robes, and I should get rid of this dress."

Harry smiled and felt an uncontrollable agreement between his legs. "Gem, that indeed does sound a bit different, and rather fun, actually. But why?"

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a long, passionate kiss. "I just think it'll make it easier for us to move. Besides, these outfits are too loose compared to what we'll be dancing in. We need to get used to doing it differently."

"Well, if you insist," he chuckled. Harry pulled his clothes off, leaving him only in his boxers, and Gemna removed the dress, standing before him in black lace lingerie. 

Harry stared at her blankly. Her soft white skin……..her long brown hair……….her hazel eyes…………her divinely red lips…………..just what was under that thin tantalizing piece of fabric………………."Harry?" Gemna laughed. "Come on, we don't have all day. Well, we do, but let's just do it now anyway."

They stepped together and Gemna started the song. It started with a few punches and kicks, then turning to splits and turns. Reach up, rock hips, spin, lean forward, down, side, arch and kick, everything perfectly. Then grabbing hands and working together to complete some of the most amazing steps.

When hey had finished running through the song a few times, Gemna slumped down on Harry's bed and he shortly joined her. They kissed a little bit, but stopped from lack of breath. "I can't believe how well I'm getting this," Harry said softly.

"I'm not surprised. You're a seeker. You have great reflexes by nature," Gemna replied, looking his gorgeous body over. "But see how the lack of clothing helped? Imagine how exhausted you would have been dancing in that stuff."

"Uch, I don't want to," he laughed. He ran his hands down her sides, lingering at her breasts. "Mmm, Gem, I love the feel of your skin beneath mine. It makes me……..hungry."

Gemna giggled. "Hungry? Dare I ask what for?"

"Nah, not like that. Seriously, I'm really hungry right now. Want to go get some lunch before we work on the homework?"

"Sure. We might want to put some clothes on, though," she laughed. They got dressed and joined the others in the Great Hall for lunch.

______________

"So how'd your practicing go?" Courtney asked, Seamus nibbling on her neck.

Gemna sat down with Harry's arm around her. "I think we're ready for next Thursday. All we need are the costumes."

Emilia spun her spoon around in her apple sauce. "I can't believe they're making us have class that day. It's so unfair."

"Don't worry," Gemna smiled. "I have a feeling that day will be very fun."

"Whatever," Maria laughed from Dean's nibbling on her ear. "Either way, we still got the party. I can't wait to see your dance, and hear you sing, too, Emilia. I'm sure you'll do great."

Michelle agreed, concentrating on the construction of her butter knife. "Yeah, you're a great writer."

"That's what Draco keeps telling me," Emilia answered. "I just hope everyone else thinks so. I can't believe I got him to sing with me! He's been practicing how to mimic the Muggle electric guitar so he can copy some of the music, as well."

"Nice," Neville said in approval, Ginny clinging to him like a sock out of the laundry.

When they were all done eating, Harry and Gemna went to an empty corridor to practice the Clethroin Spell.

______________

Harry took out his wand and Gemna walked a few meters away. "Okay, this spell causes a charging opponent to go through you. I'll let you go first. Ready?"

He nodded. "Go for it." Gemna took a breath and ran at Harry. His mind went blank and his eyes widened. Milliseconds later, he and Gemna fell to the ground. "That could have gone better," he coughed, sitting up.

Gemna slid off. "Sorry, Love. I thought you'd cast the spell."

"Don't worry about it, Precious. We'll just try again." Harry helped Gemna to her feet. She took her place across from him and ran again. This time, he was ready. "Celtai!" Gemna ran straight through him and stopped dead behind him. "Hey, it worked! But how do you get solid again?" he questioned, realizing his girlfriend resembled Nearly Headless Nick.

She smiled. "It'll take about three minutes or so. Normally, that is. I looked up a quick change back charm. Starete!" Gemna twirled her finger at herself and she returned to normal.

"You're back to normal?" Harry smiled, a little unsure. Gemna walked up to him and slipped her tongue between his lips for a moment. "I felt that. Guess you are okay," he laughed. "Come on; go back to your spot. It's your turn, Miss Perfect."

______________

The day had passed by fast, but everyone managed to complete their homework and costume-making. The girls had disappeared into the dorm shortly after dinner and the boys deeply missed them. About an hour past midnight, Ron and Harry decided they just had to see their girls. They snuck down stairs to the common room, in hopes of catching Crookshanks at an opportunity to fetch Hermione for them. As they past the fireplace, Shania came through the portrait hole. "Shania!" Ron yelled in a lowed whisper. "What are you doing up this late?"

But she didn't turn around. Something seemed different about her. "Shania, are you okay?" Harry questioned. Still no response as she began walking up the stairs. As she was turning the corner, Harry noticed something. "Ron, look!" He pointed to a thin blue and orange misty line following the center of her back. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know," Ron said, now wide awake, "but I'm getting tired of us being sucked into these mysterious things. Why can't Dean have noticed it? Or Rich? Or Margarita or someone else? It's always gotta be us, doesn't it?"

"Well, at least we're getting a start on it early. I wonder what demon has been sent to kill me this time…….."

______________

"And I swear, there was this green mist and all and it was……"

"Ron, calm down. Just take a seat and we'll talk about it later," Hermione said with a kiss, forcing Ron to sit down for breakfast.

He sighed and grabbed some pancakes. After everyone else had arrived, Shania walked over with a pale boy who looked to be a third year, with blue eyes and light brown hair. "Hey guy's, this is Seth. He's a sixth year Ravenclaw. He asked me out this morning."

Ginny jumped up and hugged Shania. "Aw, that's great! I'm glad you found someone so fast. If you don't mind me asking, have you seen Erik? Not that I care, I just haven't noticed him around since you two broke up."

Gemna cleared her throat. "I think the important thing is that she's moved on."

Everyone else agreed and made room for her and Seth at the table.

______________

"'arry! Nice of you ter drop in!" Hagrid opened the door to Harry, Ron, Gemna, and Hermione as they all filed in. "So how ya been? I never get to talk to ya in class anymer."

"Gemna and I are going out now," Harry said happily as he held her hand.

"Hermione and I, too," Ron smiled.

"Really?" Hagrid grinned. "That's great! Ya'll make such cute couples. And how'd yer classes goin'?"

"We're all doing pretty well," Hermione said. "Harry's and Ron's grades are up this year and Gemna has made a lot of friends."

"That's nice. So yer gettin' along well with everyone? Fantastic. I knew you'd fit right in. I know yer doin' great in my class, the lot of ya. You do some amazing work, Gem."

"Thank you, Hagrid. What will you be doing for Halloween?"

"Just sittin' here with Fang. Nothin' special."

"Aw, why don't you come to our Halloween party?" Ron suggested.

"Please, Hagrid?" Hermione begged. "It's going to be fun. Harry and Gemna are performing a dance and Emilia and Draco are doing a song together."

"Well, I'll certainly try ta be ther by the time ya'll perform," he smiled.

______________

Gemna waved to the others as they walked out the portrait hole, running up the stairs the moment they were gone. She locked the door with a charm and closed the window. Then she reached under her bed, pulling out Essence of Self once again. A wave of the hand and she sat down in her usual armchair. Once she rid the room completely of light, she opened the book. Within moments, the black shadowy figure appeared. "Hello, nice to see you again," it said with a hideous grin.

"I've done what you wanted. Things are set up for the plan, just as you………asked," Gemna said, looking down at the book.

"Then why such despair in you, Child? It is a joyous time. Soon you will have powers beyond your wildest dreams."

"My dreams do not consist of power hunger. I want Harry. He's the only one in my dreams."

"Love brings fear. Fear brings weakness. Weakness will make you lose. And I don't lose," it said harshly.

"But Harry………………"

"You will not disrespect me, Gemna! You do as I say and that is all. Or there will be a terrible price."

"There's already a terrible price!" At this, the creature outstretched a sharp boney hand and smacked Gemna out of the chair. Though her blood was dripping onto the floor, she didn't shed a tear. "You're a beast! A monster!" she hissed in parseltongue.

The dark figure lowered itself down to Gemna. "Aren't you glad we share the same blood?"

______________

Once everything was over, Gemna vanished the chair an unlocked the door. Putting the book under her mattress, Gemna returned the lights and cast a charm to heal the cuts on her face and whipped the blood from the floor. She headed down to the Quidditch field to watch Harry practice.

"Go Harry!" Gemna yelled, running up next to Hermione, Ginny and Neville. "Come on Ron! Watch out for the bludger! You can do it!"

Ginny, who had been screaming and clapping her hands, leaned over to Gemna. "Hey, what took you so long?"

"Sorry, I had to send an owl to my father. Yeah Harry!" Gemna had just spotted the snitch about the time Harry did.

Everyone was cheering as Angelina kept looking back and forth to a timer. The moment Harry grabbed it, she blew her whistle and they all landed. "Great job, Harry! Only took you five minutes that time! You're amazing!"

"I could've told you that," Gemna said, walking over and kissing Harry's cheek.

"You did great, too," Hermione said to Ron.

"I think that's all the practice we need for today. Remember, we got a game against Hufflepuff next Tuesday, so be ready!" Angelina packed up the stuff and headed to the building.

"You six should get a room," Andrew chuckled to the three snogging couples. A few minutes later, they headed back to change clothes and go have dinner.

______________

After dinner, Gemna, Hermione, and Ginny decided to take a walk and spend some girl time together. "It's so nice to give my tongue a rest," Hermione giggled. "Who would've thought Ron and I would be so passionate to each other?"

"I would," Gemna and Ginny laughed together.

"You and Neville are so cute together," Hermione continued. "He's not who I would have first thought of to date you, but he seems to be working out pretty good."

Ginny smiled. "Yeah, he treats me great. He calls me his princess." They all sighed happily together. "He's so sweet. How are you and Harry doing?"

Gemna giggled. "He's very sweet, too. I think he's perfect. He's romantic and smart and sweet and caring and he's gonna look so fucking hot in his costume." They all laughed together. "What are you guys going to be?"

"Neville and I are going to be a prince and princess," answered Ginny.

"And Ron and I are going to be Romeo and Juliet," Hermione told them. "What about you and Harry?"

She smirked and replied, "We're gonna keep that a secret until the party. Oh, how's that Muggle Studies class going, Hermione? The Odyssey is a great book. I've read it a few times." The talk went on from there until they retired to their dorms and fell sound asleep.


	16. Bloody Halloween

"Happy Halloween Harry," Gemna whispered, placing a soft kiss on his lips. He stirred in his bed and grunted a bit. "Come on, we still have class today, remember?"

            "Uh," he moaned.

            Ron rolled of the edge of his bed next to them. "I'm awake!" he shouted, looking up. "Oh, mornin' Gem. Mornin' 'arry."

            Gemna smiled at Ron and tugged on Harry's arm. "Harry, it's only two classes; History and Defense Against the Dark Arts. And I'm doing that demonstration today, remember?"

            "Okay, okay," Harry mumbled, sitting up and putting on his glasses. Gemna through a fistful of clothing at him and sat down. "Hakes," he yawned in return.

            "Don't worry, I won't watch you guys," she giggled as Dean in a zombie like state gave her a confused look. "Here…………" she shoved Harry off the bed so he was half on Ron's, half on the floor, and pulled the curtains around completely. Harry slumped onto the floor and looked at the shadow of his girlfriend on his bed. "There, now you can all get dressed. We'll barely have time for breakfast as it is." The guys looked at each other, sighed, and changed their clothes.

            After everyone was dressed and heading to breakfast, Harry pulled back the curtains of his bed and smiled at Gemna. "You're so beautiful," he whispered softly. She giggled and went to stand up. Before she could do so though, Harry scooped her up in his arms and swung her around a bit before carrying her down the stairs and returning her to her feet just outside the portrait hole.

            "Wow, Harry, what was that all about? Not that I didn't enjoy it," she smiled.

            "I don't know. Something just feels extra magical today." They wrapped their arms around each other and practically glided to the Great Hall.

            "Oh come on, it wasn't bad. Okay, it was, but it wasn't _that_ bad," Hermione said as they left History to their last class of the day: Defense Against the Dark Arts.

            "Hermione, never will I be interested in who made the first goddamned Liquid Roses potion or where in the seven circles of Hell the first wand came from!" Ron hissed.

            She let the silence ring for a moment. "So Gemna, what are you demonstrating exactly?"

            Gemna smirked. "You'll see when the time comes. However, I am going to need someone else. Professor Courtlynn said I could choose. How about you, Ron?"

            "Ron?" everybody questioned together. "Me? Why me?"

            "Because. We don't spend enough time together anyway. Don't worry. You won't suffer. Much." Gemna turned the corner into the classroom as everyone else paused to contemplate whether or not that was a joke.

            "Happy Halloween," Professor Courtlynn smiled contently, sitting up from being draped across her fiancé's lap. "Today we have a very special class. You won't be doing any work." Of course, everyone began to cheer and books flew across the room. "Hey!" she shouted, causing immediate silence. "You will be watching a special presentation by Gemna and a student of her choice. For homework, which I will collect Friday, I want five hundred words minimum on how the presentation has affected you. If you feel absolutely no emotion whatsoever, I will know you weren't paying attention. Now, Gemna, please select your student and you may begin."

Professor Courtlynn and Brian sat down in two chairs on the side of the room and the lights seemed to center around Gemna and Ron as they approached the front of the class. She smiled and looked around as Ron, rather frightened, stood back a bit. "Today I will show you a very special spell that can be done to anyone, but only by those with the proper blood. I don't think anyone in this class will be able to except me, but it's better that you can't. If this spell is used wrong, major catastrophic events could occur. The spell actually has a very simple name. Walk of the Blood. I regret that Ron will feel a bit of pain, and all of you will each pick up a different extreme emotion."

Ron gulped in fear and his face grew pale. "Gemna," he whispered, "I really don't want to do this. Please……….."

She turned around and hugged him, the class watching closely. "Don't worry," she said into his ear. "This will protect you. I can't tell you anymore. Just please let me save you." He took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Anyway," Gemna continued, turning back to the class, "let me explain a bit about this. The spell, once again, is called Walk of the Blood.

"It originated by the women on an island off the coast of Italy. They used it as easy access to what they wanted out of their prey. Of course, I'm not going to eat Ron, but once I've cast the spell, I can do many other things. Well, I'll just show you. And you should be feeling something strong from this. Anyone with trouble seeing, I recommend you move up. But everyone should stay behind a desk."

Gemna dragged a large pillow behind Ron and took a few steps away. "Now Ron, all you have to do is stand there. Everyone ready?" Ron shut his eyes and the room was silent.

She pulled her hands back and forth in a slow clawing motion and began to say words nobody understood, repeating them three times, very fast. "Mekiyah sarri tenah hodah. Letaffa lemoondah ekreah febdu. Drikiao selplar reke veno. Xerti blugarn iatt feray." Ron's body fell back on the pillows as Hermione let out a shrill screech.

Though her boyfriend's body had hit the pillow safely and seemed unharmed, his blood hadn't even moved. Where Ron had been standing was a person who looked exactly like him, only a red-purple shade all over…………a body of blood. Gemna moved her arms like a puppeteer and the bloody figure began to walk towards the class. He looked around slowly and blew a kiss to Hermione, who passed out moments later.

"Our first strong emotion," Gemna said proudly, forcing the body to bow. "Many of you may think that was fear. That, my poor helpless classmates, was love. Now I wonder which of you is the most susceptible to fear. But first, let's see who we can get into a giggle fit."

The bloody body scanned the room, examining each blank face, finally stopping on a blonde Slytherin girl with rosy cheeks gone pale. Where the eyes would be on the figure aligned with that of the girl and she began to laugh. With in moments, she was on the floor, face turning blue. "Isn't this fun?" Gemna guided Ron's likeness to Malfoy next. "Hm, Draco, I wonder what you'll get."

"You're not gonna get me, Gem. No way……….." Malfoy had backed out of his chair and was walking backwards towards the door. The figure ran up to him and touched his forehead with a bloody hand. Malfoy immediately grew angry and began throwing books and papers everywhere, growling like a demon.

"There we go, there's anger. How about depression?" Gemna guided it to Crabbe as a tear dripped down his face. It wasn't long before he was curled up in a fetal position, sobbing like an infant. Within about ten minutes, the only students who weren't under an extreme emotion were Gemna and Harry.

"Well, I guess we know who the fear belongs to," Gemna sighed, walking with the figure to Harry who was doing his best to keep a blank emotionless face. "I'm sorry Harry, but I have to." She kissed him softly and took a step back, the figure of Ron stepping where she had just been. It pried Harry's mouth open and stuck an arm down his throat.

Harry felt a total black out the moment it retreated. He could see everyone he cared about; Gemna, his parents, Hermione, Ron, and all his other close friends. Then they all began to slowly decay, dying before his eyes, blood and flesh tearing off everywhere. Soon they were all mutilated skeletons heading towards him with jagged, bloody knives. "It's your fault, Harry," they hissed. "You did this to us. You betrayed us. Now the ones you loved will destroy you............" The lights came back and there was a loud, almost musical shriek as they all returned to normal. Gemna waved her hands and Ron's body flew back up into the blood and returned to normal, though he did fall back down, a little dizzy.

Professor Courtlynn and Brian stood up. "Brava! Brava! Well done, dear! You to Ron! That was fantastic! Now everyone else, remember your assignment. Now go on, get off to your house parties!" Everyone was more than happy to run out of the room immediately. Harry and Hermione, however, slowly approached Gemna and Ron in the front. Hermione wrapped her arms around Ron immediately and cried softly. Harry took Gemna's hands and sat her down on a low window sill. "Gemna…pardon the expression, but what the bloody hell just happened?"

"Harry, I swear it was for Ron's protection. You'll understand when the time comes. Please, just forget about this." She brought her lips to his and entwined their tongues in such away, it would have been thought they were attached at the mouth. He moaned acceptance into her mouth and nodded when she drew back. They smiled and walked hand in hand, Ron and Hermione close behind, back to the dorms to get ready.

"Are you sure this looks okay?" Hermione asked, spinning five thousand different ways to examine her outfit in the mirror.

Courtney walked over and took another look as Hermione continued to panic. "It's fine, you look cute. Kinky, but cute," she laughed. "So you're a black cat and Ron's what?"

"He was going to be a golden retriever, but he decided to be a red cat instead."

"Nice," Emilia nodded as Maria tied the back of her dress for her. Emilia was in a short black gothic dress with fishnet arms and leggings, and lots of black make up. "Draco's going to look so hot with his hair spiked and in those nice tight pants…"

"Mmmmm, I can just see Dean now," Maria drooled. "That lion body suit…delicious."

Courtney went back over to her bed and put on her shoes. "And Seamus will look fabulous in that Muggle suit we made for him. Wow, I look just like a Muggle wife!" She admired her flipped-out-haired and frilly-apron reflection in the candlestick holder.

"Yeah, a Muggle from the 1950's," Hermione laughed. "Hey Gemna, you done in there yet?"

Gemna slipped out of the closet she'd been using to change in so she could surprise everyone. "Wow, you look gorgeous, Gem!" Maria smiled in admiration. Gemna was dressed in tight, black leather, mid-calve pants that went dangerously below her belly button, a very revealing black bustier, and silky black ballet shoes. Her hair looked extra gorgeous, tied in tight extensions about three inches from each side of her head, the untied part flowing gracefully down, and her make up reminded Hermione of a queen she had seen in a Muggle movie called Star Wars. She wore a silver chain necklace with a silver heart that glowed black on it, and silver studs in each ear piercing.

"That's an amazing outfit! Very revealing, but its great on you!" Emilia added, looking her over. "I can't wait to see Harry."

"Me either," Gemna giggled.

"I can't believe she got you to wear that," Ron shook his head in disbelief.

Harry chuckled as he looked at his black leather pants, plain black shirt, and black boots in the mirror, accompanied by a metal chain around his neck. "She has her ways. I kinda like it though. It's a nice twist."

Dean pointed his wand at his teeth and gave himself fake fangs. "As long as you get some, it doesn't hurt to dress a little freaky," he laughed. "I pray for you, Neville."

Neville blushed in his renaissance prince outfit. "I don't care what happens. I just want to be with her. Ron, please don't take that the wrong way."

Ron smiled sympathetically, adjusting his whiskers. "No worries, Neville. Just keep both of you virgins as long as you're together. Well, maybe a few years after you're married I won't mind." Neville wasn't sure whether to laugh or not so he just kept silent.

Seamus was adjusting his tie in the mirror Harry now left vacant. "Has anyone claimed the room for tonight?"

They all looked around at each other. "Dude, you're not gonna…" Dean questioned.

"No! Of course not. Not yet at least. But just so I know if we want some privacy for…other stuff, will anyone be in here?" He looked around again.

"It's all yours, Seamus," Ron nodded. "Besides, I wouldn't wanna do it here anyway. I'll probably take her out by the lake or something. She thinks it's so beautiful."

"Yeah, so does Gem," Harry laughed. "Hey, it's a big lake…"

"If Ginny and I…" Neville paused, seeing Ron's face, "want a peaceful area to talk, we'll probably go to the library or something."

"I'm just going wherever Maria takes me," Dean said proudly. There was a loud noise and the floor began to thump. "We better hurry. I think the party's starting." They fixed up their outfits and headed downstairs.

Everyone from Gryffindor (and Malfoy) was there in various costumes. Seamus was the first to spot the girls waiting in a corner near the fireplace. They all walked over and paired up to dance. After about three songs, Angelina walked to the center of the stage. "Welcome to the Gryffindor Halloween party!" Everyone cheered with enthusiasm. "We're ready for our first act. Performing an original ribbon dance and light show to 'Alice', please welcome Erica Rebbly, Ashlee Pathersa, and Kelsey Chicose!" Everyone cheered again as the three girls took the stage and the lights went out. After the five minute performance and audience rave, they took their bows and returned to the audience as regular music and light was restored.

"That was fabulous!" Gemna said, grinding her hips against Harry's.

"Mmhmm," he agreed reflexively, too focused on her body to pay attention to the show in the first place. "You know that outfit looks absolutely amazing on you."

She giggled and kissed his cheek. "You don't look too bad yourself. Are you ready to perform? We're act seven I believe. I think Emilia is six."

"Yeah, I think we'll be great." Harry kissed her softly as the next song began.

Hermione tossed her hair over her shoulder and purred in Ron's ear. "Enjoying yourself?"

"You bet," he replied, licking his lips. "You look so sexy in that outfit, Hermione. Reminds me of that polyjuice potion from second year." He laughed as Hermione, though barely noticeably, blushed.

"I think they're calling up the next act. Come on." She tugged him closer to the stage.

About two hours in, Angelina approached the stage again. "Everyone ready for act number six?" Though they were all a little exhausted, the audience still cheered with excitement. "Emilia Mazingare will be singing an original song entitled 'Everybody's Fool', accompanied by Draco Malfoy on……………..what's an electric guitar?" After a shrug, Angelina left the stage and Emilia and Malfoy walked on. He took out his wand for a moment and began the background music before beginning himself. Emilia started to rock to the music and began a self-rhythmic unplanned dance. The kind you just get from feeling the music. Everyone had their eyes on her.

"_Perfect by nature  
Icons of self indulgence  
Just what we all need  
More lies about a world that  
  
Never was and never will be  
Have you no shame? Don't you see me?  
You know you've got everybody fooled…………."_

Harry looked at Gemna who was enthralled in dancing to the music and somehow majestically singing every word along with Emilia. "Gemna, how do you know this song?"

She looked up at him, still dancing. "I don't know, it's just coming to me."

Maria and Dean had their bodies entangled not to far away. "You can really feel everything in these body suits," she giggled. "Wow, listen to Emilia sing. Isn't she great? And I never knew Malfoy could jam like that!"

Draco began to sing background a bit with Emilia now.  
  
_"Look here she comes now  
Bow down and stare in wonder  
Oh how we love you  
No flaws when you're pretending  
But now I know she  
  
Never was and never will be  
You don't know how you've betrayed me  
And somehow you've got everybody fooled…………"_

The music slowed down a bit and Harry looked into Gemna's eyes.  
  
_"Without the mask where will you hide?  
Can't find yourself, lost in your lie…………"_

As it returned to normal, Harry, felt a compulsion to kiss Gemna. Apparently, she felt the same as their mouths were enclosed around each other's within seconds.   
  
_"I know the truth now  
I know who you are  
And I don't love you anymore............"_

Hermione and Ron were dancing insanely, completely caught up in the music. "This is amazing………..Go Emilia!" she shouted.

Shania and Seth were snogging in a corner, not too far from Michelle and Colin. Courtney and Seamus had been dancing the entire time, movements perfectly matched. Emilia's song seemed to have everyone caught up in it, one way or another.  
  
_"It never was and never will be  
You don't know how you've betrayed me  
Somehow you've got everybody fooled  
  
It never was and never will be  
You're not real and you can't save me  
Somehow now you're everybody's fool."_

The song concluded and everyone, even the people who were tongue locked, rose to give them a massive applause. Emilia smiled gratefully and Draco took off his guitar. They wrapped their arms around each other and walked off stage as the regular music returned. Angelina beckoned Harry and Gemna over to her at the side of the stage. "You guys ready to go on? That's gonna be a tough act to follow."

Harry smiled. "I don't think we'll have a problem. How much time do we have?"

"About two more songs I think."

"Come on Harry, let's go freshen up a bit before we perform," Gemna said, pulling him up the stairs.

"Our next act for tonight," Angelina said, "Give it up for Gemna Rodemlovt and Harry Potter performing their dance to 'Figured You Out' by Nickelback!" Harry and Gemna took the stage and she cued the music and lights. They performed their dance flawlessly, almost like a Muggle music video.

When they were finished, Harry surprised Gemna with a dip and passionate kiss in front of the entire cheering crowd. "Why don't we go somewhere more private?" she purred in his ear. Very turned on from watching her dance, he scooped her up and ran out of the common room with her, all the guys from his dorm laughing.

Harry set Gemna down against the trunk of a tree a few meters from the lake. He kissed her deeply as he lay softly on top of her, removing all the ties from her hair. They continued for a few minutes before Gemna pulled back. "Mmm, Harry, you were brilliant tonight."

"So were you, love. And you look so fucking sexy, especially in this moonlight." His erection was pressing into her thigh and his lips were wet enough to see her reflection. His eyes had grown dark and hungry with desire. "Something about tonight seems so perfect, so right. I want to make you scream with pleasure, Gem. Please, please let me taste you. I get hungry just looking at you."

Gemna blinked a few times, quite surprised at Harry's anxiousness. "Harry...I don't know what to say. You know I love you, you know I do, but…is that really what you want?"

"Yes, to make you happy is what I want more than anything. Unless you don't want me to. Hey, if you don't feel right about it, tell me now and I'll stop." He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. "I'd love to." Instantly at this, Harry pulled off his shirt and undid her bustier, tossing them both aside. He pressed his bare chest against hers and practically grabbed her tongue. Just when she had become rapt in the kiss, Harry left her mouth and began to trail kisses across her breasts, soon turning to licks. She sunk lower to the ground and let out a soft sigh of pleasure as she felt him draw one of her nipples into his mouth.

Gemna ran her nails ever so lightly up and down his back, making him shudder. A point between her legs ached for him; beckoned him to go lower. As Harry moved from one breast to the other, he could feel his own needs calling and egging him on. He wanted her so badly…but no, he couldn't. If they did it now, he realized, it would be too soon. They needed more time for their relationship to grow; for things to get even more intimate mentally. Only then would he be able to get what he truly wanted.

"I'm sorry, Gem," Harry said as he sat up. "It's just not as right as I thought."

She smiled and kissed his forehead. "I understand. We can wait. Don't worry about it." She put his shirt on for him and he helped her retie her top. "I'm a little cold, Harry. Would you like to go inside?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty late and we still have classes tomorrow. Only in the afternoon, but we still have them." Harry helped her up and they walked together back to his dorm, where they proceeded with many hours of cuddling and intimate conversation until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, Hermione, Ginny, and the other girls burst into the boys' dorm. "Okay, what'd you do, Harry?"

Harry sat up, wide awake now. "What'd I do what?" he asked.

Maria stomped over to him. "What'd you do to Gemna? She didn't come back to the room last night. And why are you sleeping on the floor?"

He looked down and realized Gemna was gone. The other guys were sitting up in their beds in question.

"Reacks," Dean yawned. "They both fell asleep there. She's probably in the loo or something. Did you check there?"

"Yes we did," Ginny said haughtily. "She's not there. Where----"

Just then, Gemna walked in, dressed in her usual outfit, hair neatly braided in pigtails. "Good morning. Did I miss anything?"

Emilia drew back a bit. "Gemna, where were you? We were worried sick."

"Harry and I came back here to talk last night and we both fell asleep. I've just been out at Hagrid's to help him prepare today's assignment. We're working with mosquitoes and they had to have their blood-craving genes removed," she said as if she had simply gone to get a glass of water.

Courtney paused for a moment. "Well…as long as you're all right. Come on, let's get some breakfast." They headed down stairs, leaving the dazed boys to get dressed.

"Harry?" Ron asked.

"No Ron, I haven't a clue either." Harry got up and dressed.


End file.
